I have a new 2008 Toyota Prius. I am on my second tank of gas and seem to be getting less than 44 miles per gallon. Is this a normal amount? I live in New England so the weather is getting colder and I understand that can affect the total mileage. I thought I would get a bit better mileage than that. I do know the mileage estimates were revised down a bit but it still seems low for a hybird car. Does anyone have an idea if this is the norm?
That’s pretty normal for highway mileage. The advantage the hybrid system gives you is that it captures the energy that’s usually wasted braking, and uses it to accellerate. However, if you’re not in a situation in which you’re doing a lot of braking, there’s no advantage. Consquently, the Prius and other similar hybrids are in the strange situation of getting better city mileage than highway. 44 is still pretty good for a car that size, though.
And the cold weather does affect it, I believe because the batteries don’t work as well and the engine has to stay on more just to stay warm.
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In addition to the other opints made, your engine is not yet broken in and one tank of gas is not enough to properly calculate mileage.
Refer to your owner’s manual for break in requirements. It will also likely have good info on mileage and other good information.