How to Calculate a Car's Fuel Consumption?
2 Answers
Here are three methods to calculate a car's fuel consumption. 1. Fuel consumption per 100 kilometers = theoretical fuel consumption plus 2 to 2.5: This method is only an estimate and will definitely have errors. If you are a beginner or don't have enough time to calculate the accurate fuel consumption, you can use this method for a temporary estimate. 2. Actual fuel consumption per 100 kilometers = A/B × 100: Unless it's a taxi, few private cars use an odometer, but this method can still be tried. 3. Actual fuel consumption per 100 kilometers = C/(B-A) × 100. For example: A car is filled with 100 yuan worth of fuel and runs 120 kilometers until it's used up. The fuel price is 6.2 yuan/liter. First, we need to determine the car's phase fuel consumption = fuel cost / fuel price = 100/6.2 = 16.1 liters. The fuel consumption per 100 kilometers = phase fuel consumption * 100 / phase mileage = 16.1 * 100 / 120 = 13.4 liters/100 kilometers. For example, if the car's fuel tank capacity is 50 liters, when the fuel gauge light comes on, there is less than 10 liters left, and you have run 500 kilometers, then your fuel consumption per kilometer is 40 liters / 500 kilometers = 0.08 liters/kilometer, and the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is 8 liters. By refueling three times in this way, you can calculate a relatively accurate fuel consumption. After each full refueling, the odometer should be reset to zero, so that the mileage run is accurate.
Calculating a car's fuel consumption is actually quite simple, and my most commonly used method is the refueling technique. Specifically: first, fill up the tank until the pump automatically stops, and note the odometer reading. Then drive normally for a while, covering about 100 to 200 kilometers, and return to the gas station to refill the tank to full again, recording the amount of fuel added in liters and the distance traveled during this period. The formula is to divide the amount of fuel added by the distance traveled, then multiply by 100, to get the fuel consumption in liters per 100 kilometers. For example, last time I tried this, I added 15 liters of fuel after driving 200 kilometers, which comes out to 7.5 liters/100km. This method most accurately reflects real-world usage. However, it's important to note that driving habits have a significant impact—aggressive acceleration or speeding on highways can increase fuel consumption, and traffic jams in the city can also cause it to spike. I recommend doing several tests under different road conditions to get an average, and don’t overlook seasonal changes; using air conditioning in summer and warming up the car in winter both consume more fuel. Regularly calculating fuel consumption this way helps me optimize my driving habits to save money and protect the engine.
