The best way to track your fuel economy progress is to use a gas mileage calculator.
There are various options available, but the simplest one to use is our specially designed Gas Mileage Calculator. Just download the excel spreadsheet, follow the instructions in the file, and track your fuel efficiency progress. Plus, it's totally free!
"What if I Want Real-Time MPG Tracking?"
Whoa, buddy! Leave the laptop at home! Remember what we said about being a safe driver ?
Instant gratification can be quite a pain, especially when we're trying to make a change that's incredibly important to us.
For some people, the best way to calculate gas mileage is to follow the above guidelines using an online gas mileage calculator or using a formula and a mileage log. However, other drivers will get that itch to learn just how much those hypermiling techniques work, or don't work, without waiting a week or more when they next fill-up the tank.
There are real-time gas mileage trackers on the market that can be installed into your vehicle that tell you exactly how many miles per gallon your car is getting at that very moment. Accelerated too quickly? Your MPG will drop and your gas mileage calculator will tell you.
These types of systems are also good for people who need a constant reminder, especially when we're talking about a change in driving habits. We all know how difficult it is to change our habits, right?
4 Reasons to LOVE the ScanGauge II
Real-Time MPG Tracking
The ScanGauge II is a real-time gas mileage calculator. If you're trying out new driving tips or decided to purchase a fuel saving device, like a water for gas gadget, it would be nice to see if it works or not right away. Basically, it will show you what helps your MPG, what hurts it, and what doesn't even make a difference what-so-ever.
In addition, this instrument shows you how much money you're spending per mile driven.
Diagnostic Trouble Codes
The one feature we love the most about the ScanGauge, and makes it pay for itself, is the feature that allows it to check the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) in your vehicle. Any time that check engine light comes on, it means more money out of your pocket for a mechanic to hook up his handy little device and turn off the light, often without doing any real work what-so-ever. With the ScanGauge, it will turn off the check engine light for you. If there's real trouble with your car, it will tell you what it is so you can fix it yourself. If you can't fix it myself, at least you know exactly what's wrong so you can keep your mechanic honest. Any way you look at it, you've saved money on little things that might otherwise have cost you a bundle.
Keeps Teen Drivers Safe
While it won't slow the car down for you if you're maxing out the speedometer, the ScanGauge II will record speeds of up to 158 MPH and store them for later. So, the next time your 16-year-old son borrows the car, you'll know if he was out drag racing with his buddies. Oh, the really cool part about this is that, even if your teen knows the ScanGauge is "watching him", he can't disconnect the device without you knowing about it, because it will alert you to any disconnect that occurs!
This feature alone is worth the cost of the ScanGauge if you have a teenage driver in the house.
Low on Gas?
We've all been there. We're really close to our destination and the low fuel light comes on. How much time do I have before the tank is totally empty? How far can I go?
The ScanGauge II will let you know how much time, distance, and fuel you have left in the gas tank. So, you'll know if you should go ahead and pull into the expensive gas station to put a little gas in, or if you can wait until you get to your favorite fill-up station that's 10 cents per gallon cheaper.
The above aren't the only features available in this handy device, but they certainly are incredibly useful if you want to save money on gas, and save on car repair bills - not to mention monitoring the driving habits of your teenage drivers - and are why we highly recommend the ScanGauge II real-time gas mileage calculator.
The part of vacation planning that many people miss is to calculate gas mileage for a road trip. There is a handy gas mileage calculator for that as well, called a trip cost calculator.
A trip cost calculator can be just the thing to make sure your next road trip doesn't leave you with a bunch of unanticipated expenses.
The best trip cost calculator we've found is at GasBuddy.com.
GasBuddy has an online form that allows you to enter the distance of your trip and important information about your vehicle. It then returns data on your car's average city miles, highway miles, tank size and fuel type.
Another way, if you've tracked how you improve gas mileage in your car, is to click on the link that reads "Enter my own information". Here you can enter your personal MPG to calculate fuel consumption for your next road trip.
No matter how you decide to calculate your gas mileage, whether you use a formula, an online calculator, or a real-time MPG detector, remember that knowing and understanding your MPG is crucial in order to improve upon it.
