What does the trip displayed on the car dashboard mean?
4 Answers
The trip on the car dashboard represents the trip mileage. Here is the relevant information: 1. The trip mileage refers to the distance traveled before the current stage is reset. If you want to restart recording the mileage, you can long-press to reset it. The smallest unit of trip mileage is 0.1 kilometers, and the basic calculation method is the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers. Manufacturers also provide this parameter, which is the actual fuel consumption divided by the actual distance traveled. TRIP-A means single trip A, and the trip meters TRIP-A and TRIP-B can be switched. 2. The car dashboard is a device that reflects the working conditions of various systems of the vehicle. The instruments of different cars are not the same. However, the conventional instruments of general cars include the speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure gauge, water temperature gauge, fuel gauge, charging gauge, etc.
The other day when I was driving long-distance, I specifically observed the trip meter. It's essentially a function that records one-way driving distance. For example, today's drive from home to the office shows 32 kilometers, and tomorrow's trip to the countryside will be calculated anew, making it much more flexible than the total odometer. I'm used to using it to calculate fuel consumption - after filling up the tank, I reset the trip meter, then check how many kilometers I've driven after using half a tank, and divide to get the actual fuel consumption. Here's an interesting fact: some cars come with Trip A and Trip B buttons, which can separately record commuting distance and weekend road trip mileage, making it particularly useful for accounting. Just remember that a short press switches between trip records, while holding the button for three seconds resets the data.
After driving for five years, I finally realized how convenient the trip meter is. The technician taught me the most practical usage during my last service. For example, resetting the trip meter immediately after filling up the tank, and then dividing the distance traveled by the amount of fuel added at the next refill gives a more accurate fuel consumption calculation than the car's computer. My neighbor is even smarter—they use Trip B to record the total monthly commuting mileage and Trip A specifically for the one-way distance of picking up and dropping off kids, avoiding mixing up the mileage. It's important to note that the data won't disappear after turning off the engine, but disconnecting the battery will reset it, so be careful when modifying the electrical system. Additionally, in emergencies, it can serve as a simple road marker reference to track the distance traveled after exiting a highway.
When I bought the car, the salesperson said the trip is an odometer that calculates mileage in separate segments. Unlike the total mileage which accumulates over the vehicle's lifetime, the trip can be manually reset to zero and starts counting anew, making it particularly suitable for recording specific trip distances. Last week when I drove a friend to the airport, I long-pressed the steering wheel button to reset the trip before departure. It showed 38 kilometers upon arrival at the airport, and I reset it again for the return trip. It can also help car owners estimate fuel costs by multiplying the trip mileage by the approximate fuel consumption per kilometer in the city. Some older car models have mechanical knobs for the trip meter, while newer models mostly feature electronic displays.
