One of the biggest factors people keep in mind when shopping for a new car is fuel efficiency. Different types of engines run on different fuels—and potentially even get their power from a different source, like electricity. For this reason, vehicles can be radically different in terms of fuel efficiency. Plus, everything from size to aerodynamics of a vehicle has an impact on average miles per gallon.
One of the best tools that you can use to compare vehicles based on fuel efficiency is the fuel economy label, which is included in the information about any new vehicle you consider. In addition, some used vehicle labels can be downloaded and printed for easy access to a particular make and model. These labels include basic information about the type of fuel the vehicle requires as well as more detailed information such as fuel economy.
What You Need to Know about a Vehicle’s MPG Rating
A vehicle’s fuel economy is typically measured in terms of miles per gallon (MPG), which is the distance that a car can travel on a single gallon of fuel. A higher number indicates that the vehicle can go farther on the same amount of fuel and is thus more fuel efficient.
The agency behind the fuel efficiency rating is the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since the EPA certifies all ratings, it is possible to compare vehicles based on their fuel mileage. However, it is important to understand that many factors go into a vehicle’s mileage, so getting an accurate measurement can be difficult. For example, road and traffic conditions can have a huge effect. For this reason, the EPA usually runs several tests on standard courses and then averages the results.
Moreover, all vehicles come with three different MPG ratings. The first is highway MPG, which is how a vehicle performs on an open stretch of road that does not require starting and stopping. Usually, this test is done at higher speeds. The second rating is city MPG, which involves lower speeds and more stopping and starting. City MPG is always lower than highway MPG since stopping and starting require more fuel. The EPA also offers a combined MPG, which is a weighted average of highway and city MPG values. The combined MPG is often used to compare fuel efficiency across different vehicles, although it is also helpful to look at the other two values to see if there are any major discrepancies.
Why care about MPG? There are many reasons, but the most critical has to do with cost. Vehicles that consume more fuel will ultimately be more expensive to operate because you will spend more money on gasoline (or diesel). While cost is important, you should also know about the environmental impact of vehicles that use a lot of fuel. Burning more fuel means releasing more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Therefore, many companies have been looking more at electric vehicles and hybrids that can cut down on fuel consumption to protect the environment and lower the financial burden on vehicle owners. The government labels on cars help buyers learn more about both the environmental and financial impact of purchasing a certain vehicle based on its MPG rating.
How You Can Learn More about Environmental and Financial Impact
To demonstrate the impact of a particular vehicle on the environment, the government label has a rating from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. This rating refers to how much carbon dioxide the tailpipe of the vehicle emits with each mile driven. Better fuel economy is linked to lower greenhouse gas emissions, so cars with a higher rating tend to have better MPG ratings. Some vehicles will have two ratings, one for MPG and the other for greenhouse gas emissions. However, gasoline vehicles will only have one rating since carbon dioxide emissions are directly linked to the MPG. Vehicles may also have a smog rating, which refers to other pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde.
The government label also includes an estimated annual fuel cost based on the MPG rating and fuel consumption of the vehicle. This cost is calculated based on the assumption that someone drives an average of 15,000 miles per year and that gasoline prices are stable, so it can vary between drivers. However, since the calculations use the same numbers, it is a good way to compare two vehicles in terms of fuel costs. The label will also provide information on how much you will save or spend compared to the average vehicle over five years. Each label will explicitly say whether you will save or spend compared to the average vehicle. Again, these estimates are made based on the assumption that you drive 15,000 per year for five years and that fuel prices follow the projected trajectory.