MPG reset or not ?

[Aleta51]

So I have the 2022 Badlands… And I am in love. I’ve never done this before but I was told to reset the mpg at every Philip so I noticed it after I do that my gas mileage is amazing so driving around town today after filling up no highway driving I’m getting 30.7 miles per gallon… On my way to my destination I got 26.8 On the highway and then
reset it when I filled it… I just made a 15 mile round-trip downtown and I’m still getting 30.7 miles per gallon… Are you supposed to reset it? Or just leave it ? how do I figure out what my real mpg is?

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[Mark S.]

It's entirely up to you what you do with the reset button; it won't impact fuel economy. The computer is typically optimistic; it will indicate higher than actual MPG. The only way to get an accurate reading is to track it by hand. Fill up, reset your trip meter, then write down how much fuel you put in the tank over the next three tankfuls. Divide miles on the trip meter by gallons burned.

The value of computer-indicated mileage is tracking trends. The indicated mileage is usually high, but it's consistently high. If you notice a large, unexplained change in indicated mileage that could mean a mechanical issue.

 

[Magnato1]

You can also use this: https://www.fuelly.com/

 

[Tigger]

You can also use this: https://www.fuelly.com/

That was fun looking at the Bronco Sport and the Bronco. Thanks!

 

[Glamdring70]

I leave the instant economy screen alone so it just accumulates a lifetime average (until the battery is disconnected anyhow). I reset the trip screen when filling up.

If you get gas at a station on top of a hill then your first mile will be crazy good from coasting down. If you put your foot in it for a stop light or two, it will suddenly be crazy bad. With very few miles, the calculation is really sensitive to changes in MPG. As the miles add up, the computed number will become more and more realistic because each little minute-by-minute calculation affects the total to a much lesser degree. Same reason speeding doesn't save any appreciable time, unless you are going hundreds of miles and you can speed constantly.

 

[DMEARC]

Are you supposed to reset it? Or just leave it ? how do I figure out what my real mpg is?

You can reset it as often as you’d like, although most people reset it after each fill up as a way to track MPG trends. Generally speaking it’s useful for determining how economically you are driving. If you aren’t interested in such things there’s no reason to ever reset it.

As far as “real MPG”, the number shown is a very good approximation.

 

[Econoline]

I track mpg with www.fuelly.com. Also useful to keep service notes.

 

[GaryS]

You get over 30 MPG with a Badlands? Amazing. The highest average I've gotten so far has been 23.5.

 

[13MikeH]

So I have the 2022 Badlands… And I am in love. I’ve never done this before but I was told to reset the mpg at every Philip so I noticed it after I do that my gas mileage is amazing so driving around town today after filling up no highway driving I’m getting 30.7 miles per gallon… On my way to my destination I got 26.8 On the highway and then
reset it when I filled it… I just made a 15 mile round-trip downtown and I’m still getting 30.7 miles per gallon… Are you supposed to reset it? Or just leave it ? how do I figure out what my real mpg is?

I'd suggest if you care, reset it every fill up. Use it as a guide. If you average 28-30 every stop that's pretty solid. If it drops into 22-25 and you know it's been a lot of stop and go traffic then you know what impact it has.
If you want straight calculation fill up, reset your trip odo, then on the next fill, write down how many gallons you add and how many miles on that fresh trip odo. Divide miles by gallons...boom. And even that will have margin of error. Headwinds vs tail winds. Long trips on cruise in eco vs normal/speed on stoplight boulevard.
Temps at fuel up, affects the volume of fuel if you get super picky

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