The EPA's mileage estimates have long ignored the aggression and impatience with which motorist's actually drive their vehicles. But for 2008 vehicles, the agency's standards will come closer to reflecting, well, reality. The new sticker will still carry the
self-defeating caveat, "actual mileage will vary," but the ballpark estimates will drop by about 12 percent for city driving and about 8 percent for highway mileage. The AAA organization found that the EPA's former mileage estimates were about 16 percent higher than actual mileage, which can add up to hundreds of dollars a year in gas costs. This was because its driving cycle brought a vehicle to highways speeds in 12 seconds and never exceeded 60 mph. Great grandmothers driving home from church Bingo push their cars harder than this.
EPA Mileage Estimates Catch Up to How People Actually Drive
The EPA’s mileage estimates have long ignored the aggression and impatience with which motorist’s actually drive their vehicles. But for 2008 vehicles, the agency’s standards will come closer to reflecting, well, reality. The new sticker will still carry the self-defeating caveat, "actual mileage will vary," but the ballpark estimates will drop by about 12 percent […]
