Are people really getting the estimated 60 mpg with the Toyota Prius?

Answer 1

The EPA ratings are done under unrealistic circumstances (not real roads) so no car attains the EPA ratings. They are on a synthetic roller-track (like being on a treadmill) -- so no stop-signs, traffic, hills etc.

I typically get 46 mpg from combined freeway and city driving. Looks like new EPA measurements will be more realistic for all kinds of cars.

Answer 2

Egads, more bad answers to Prius questions!

As someone said above, the key to getting 50+ MPG on the Prius is to use the "Pulse and Glide" technique. It works.

This technique means get up to speed as quickly as possible -- whatever speed that may be (30, 45, 60, 70 -- you know, whatever the speed limit is on your street) and then let up on the accelerator, and use the accelerator as little as possible after that. What will happen is you will get 20-25 MPG for the time that you are accelerating -- typically 1/4 of a mile -- and then get 80-100 MPG after that. When going up hills, speed up at the bottom of the hill so that you are not gunning the accelerator the whole hill, and coast up to stoplights and stop signs. Doing this, you will easily get over 50 MPG on the Gen 1 Prius (2001-2003) and 52+ MPG on the Gen 2 Prius (2004+).

The second component to high MPG is taking long trips. The first 5 minutes of driving the car, the engine is warming up, and this will get you no more than 20-25 MPG. If you are taking trips of 15-20 minutes or more, you will overcome this. If your trips are under 10 minutes long, then you'll get an MPG in the 40s -- as most people do.

The final key is using the AC/heater/window defroster. The window defroster is a huge one -- certainly it's more important to see out the window than it is to get good MPG and the Toyota engineers realized this. If you are using your defroster you will get very poor MPG, and using the AC will drop you about 4-5 MPG. I have heard that the heater provides a similar drop in MPG.

There is a lot on the internet about 'Pulse and Glide' and everyone with a Prius should read about it, because most advice that you see about getting good MPG is to drive slowly. However, in the Prius, the opposite is true -- you want to get up to speed as fast as you can and then coast or barely touch the accelerator, as then you will be maintaining your speed just with the battery.

If you become a Prius owner, you will have a real-time MPG display right in front of you on the TV screen. You will learn very quickly what the methods are to getting good MPG. The keys have NOTHING to do with driving slowly, NOTHING to do with freeway/city driving, etc.!

One final note -- the Prius does not actually come with "specialty tires" as someone suggested. They come with P175/65R14 sized tires, which will be available at any tire retailer and for reasonable prices. P185/65R14 tires and P185/60R14 tires are also reported to fit. And of course you don't have to check your tire pressure every 3 days. :P

Answer 3

I just spoke to a pharmacist that travels between drug stores filling in for vacationing staff. He bought a Prius 3 months ago and claims he tops out at a very pleasant 54 mpg. None of the hybrids get the kind of mileage claimed because the EPA driving test isn't "tweaked" for these vehicles yet. Talk to 3-4 owners and see if the numbers don't center around a particular mpg number. Be sure to ask if this is city or highway or mixed conditions mileage. Good Luck!

Answer 4

YES, but you have to drive with the "pulse and glide" method.
This means you are doing a lot of driving in neutral, which I find troublesome. I drive my Prius like any other car, and I get 35 MPG during the first 15 minutes of city driving, 46-48 MPG in combo driving, and 54 on long freeway runs.
Robert
'06 Prius, package 7

Answer 5

OK, lots of good answers, and I'll add my hat to the pile.
Get comfy...

I maintain 51-53 mpg as an average in more urban driving, and 46-48 average for mainly highway driving. Those are averages, not peaks. Having said that...

Learn to drive and maintain your vehicle differently.

Driving a hybrid means you have to practice slowing/stopping and accelerating in a new way.

There are two main acceleration models, the American model and the European/Asian model.
- In the American model, you accelerate hard and then ease off when you reach speed. This is called various names including "Pulse and Glide".
- In the Euro/Asian model, you accelerate like there is an egg under the accelerator pedal and you're trying to roll the egg out, not crush it.

I prefer the Euro/Asian model. I tried the American model for a year and I averaged 46-48, so I switched back.

To decelerate, you take the distance you normally use to stop, say 100 feet, and double it. At 200 feet, you take your foot off the accelerator and coast until the point you normally began to brake and then you apply the brake pedal.

I take this one step further and barely press the brake pedal and then press normally when I reach that roughly 100 foot mark. Barely pressing the pedal at the 200 foot mark engages the regenerative braking system and creates more electricity for a longer period of time. It also shuts down the gas engine sooner, saving more gas.

This sounds difficult, and it takes time to learn and become automatic, but so did learning to drive the old way in the first place.

Now, you obviously have to use common sense. If the redneck in the pickup truck in your rear mirror is about to run over you, accelerate faster. But you can brake correctly no matter what.

Last notes on driving...your mileage will go down when the temperature gets to freezing or below. The gas engine must run continuously to produce heat for the cabin. Also, leave the temp control on automatic year round. It will be better for mileage, better for your comfort, and the air conditioning and heat pumps are pure electric, they are not linked to the gas engine (btw, every vehicle's mileage goes down in the winter, between the ice/snow/salt on the roads and the cold temps).

Now, just like driving must be more proactive, so must your maintenance of your Prius.

You must check your tire pressure 2X a week with a digital tire gauge, not a cheapy stick gauge. Go buy a digital for $10-15 and maintain your pressure using the sticker on the driver's door frame, 35 front and 33 rear on the Goodyear Integritys.

You can go over by 2-3 pounds, but never use the pressure stamped on the tire itself. That is the maximum pressure from the manufacturer, not what is meant for that vehicle. This goes for every tire on every vehicle.

Besides that, the tires that comes on the Prius are specialty tires, just like those on a sports car or truck. The Goodyear Integritys are a low-rolling-resistance tire that have a strengthened side wall that helps the tire require less energy to rotate.

Just change your oil/filter every 3000 miles and rotate the tires every 6000 and you should be good to go. You should follow the 3000/6000 cycle no matter what vehicle you drive, not doing that is asking for trouble.

Answer 6

I brought a Prius on last week. I have not seen the 60MPG yet.
I got only 428 miles out of my tank before warning sound. Today, may average is 52MPG. Before I was getting 42. For the last 2 days I have not used the AC, now it 52. The P is kind of hard on the AC, but still decent.

Answer 7

I just bought a Prius. My first tank of gas averaged 40 mpg.

Answer 8

I have a 2004, and have gotten 50-54 MPG consistently.
I drive 60 miles per day, a mixture of highway and city.

I drive at the traffic's speed, and don't baby the car.

Answer 9

It is a hybrid, so thats not unusual.

Someone managed to get 116 MPG on one:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/06/mileage-maniacs-hack-toyotas-prius-for-116-mpg/

Answer 10

No. But the ones who do call themselves "hypermilers". They do dangerous (and oftentimes illegal) things, like shutting their car off while driving downhill, and making crazy suicide turns. They also do a lot of silly things, like pushing the car before they actually start the car. These drivers are few and far between. They have an annual hypermiler contest in Wisconsin. They get over 90 mpg.