Does Your Car Get 30 MPG on the Highway?
- 5
- Add a Comment
You’ve probably heard that the folks in Washington D.C. have finally gotten around to raising our nation’s target for fuel economy. Sadly, 35 miles per gallon (MPG) by 2020 is too little, too late. The automakers that merely strive to meet that marker might not be around by the time that day rolls around. We need to see substantial improvements in a far more compressed time frame.
You can do something about it, starting today … even if you can’t find old paint on the list of cars that get 30 MPG on the highway (or more). No matter what you drive, you can drive more conscientiously. Any vehicle will get higher or lower mileage, depending on the way that the driver operates that vehicle.
I spent a good part of last weekend behind the wheel of a rental car rated at 29 MPG highway. A fuel-efficiency meter was prominently featured on the sedan’s dashboard, between the speedometer and tachometer. I was able to better the EPA’s highway rating by 20% over hundreds of miles of the highway … simply by driving conscientiously.

5 Comments
4four1ones
January 8th, 2008
at 10:10am
One simple way to control fuel efficiency is to use your cruise control on long distance driving and to also reduce aggressive acceleration. You can also increase your fuel efficiency by making sure that your air cleaner is fresh: free of debris and dirt.
Mike
January 15th, 2008
at 6:00pm
Those interested in reducing the size of their carbon footprint should investigate the colossal environmental damage caused by the factory farming of livestock. A vegetarian driving a gass-guzzling monster of an SUV will have a nearly-invisible footprint when compared to that of a meat-eater who bikes to work every day…
Skorch
February 10th, 2008
at 3:25pm
How does not eating animals save you money on gas? Seriously take your opinions and keep them to yourself. Cows, pigs and chickens taste good so do apples and oranges. So answer this question “What gives you the right to kill defenseless plants to feed your hunger?” Plants are living breathing creatures that have just as much of a right to be eaten or not eaten according to the law of the jungle. The law of the jungle is “You are either the eater or the eaten.”
Skorch
February 10th, 2008
at 3:28pm
I get a 10 - 40 % boost in fuel economy by tailgating semis. The closer to the bumper the better your gas mileage. If I’m ever pulled over for “tailgating” I was going to deny and say that I was drafting!
Kalin
November 4th, 2008
at 6:07pm
I own a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1L V6. I recently made a long highway trip and was able to calculate my highway mileage of over 31 mpg. Looking ten years back until now, gas mileage really hasn’t increased in a huge amount so why are the car companies spending ten’s of thousands of dollars telling us that their mileage has increased. There is 4 cylinder engines in the 2009 Models years that are barely doing over 30mpgs highway. Whats wrong with this picture