How Much Can You Save on Gas with a 40 MPG Car?

Ready for a change? How about some change in your pocket?

When you swap out of a gas guzzler and into a fuel efficient car you will be able to calculate the savings at the end of every month. It all starts with the amount of driving you need to do each week. Try keeping track, starting on Monday when you leave for work. Write down the mileage figure shown on your odometer or reset your trip meter. Then make note of it on the following Monday (or on Sunday, when you park your ride for the night).

Add two zeros to that number, then divide it in half. If you’ve driven 300 miles in a week, for example, you’d add the two zeros to make it 30,000, and chop it down the middle. Drive 300 miles per week for fifty weeks out of the year, you’ll roll up roughly 15,000 miles. Drive 400 and you can call it 20,000.

If you own a vehicle that gets an average of 15 miles per gallon on average and drive 15,000 miles per year, you’ll pay over $4,000 per year for gasoline, with gas at $4 per gallon. If you switch into a vehicle that gets an average of 40 miles per gallon, you will spend approximately $1,500 per year, for a savings of just over $2,500 per year. That’s a serious chunk of change and may be enough to cover a significant piece of your car payment.

If your current vehicle is slightly more fuel efficient, say 20 miles per gallon, you will pay $3,000 for gasoline over the course of a year if you drive 15,000 miles. In this case, switching into a 40 MPG vehicle would save you $1,500 every year if gas stays around $4 per gallon.

Don’t sweat over the math … the MPGomatic Gas Mileage Calculator makes it a cinch to figure. Just plug in your numbers and you’ll be good to go!

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2 thoughts on “How Much Can You Save on Gas with a 40 MPG Car?”

  1. It’s absolutely insane how much we save on money each year from fuel savings. We bought Hyundai’s right after owning two Yukon’s. Went from 14 mpg to 38 mpg over night and we’re saving an average of $3,200 per year. I’m the typical guy wanting horsepower and brawny looks but I’ll never give up my Hyundai because of the fuel savings – I don’t care how silly I look at 6’6″ tall and 250 lbs driving a little car. Show me the money!!!

    *disclaimer: I still own one Yukon – just couldn’t give up 4×4 in case of a zombie apocalypses.

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