How much left in tank on empty?

[AndyRC]

Did a long run , mostly Motorway and the car averaged 48.3 , brim to brim. Got down to the display saying 10 miles remaining , filled up and it took 35.5 litres so for a 43 litre tank that’s 7.5 litres and nearly 80 miles , 70 more than indicated , not a bad thing. Is this typical of how the gauge reads on the C-HR?   I was expecting around 4/5 litres left but was quite surprised at 7.5. I wasn’t in a panic but the CEO wanted to fill up way before but she took some convincing there was plenty of fuel left, at least she now has peace of mind on what’s left in when it’s reading virtually empty. 

[philip42h]

I believe that is typical of Toyota - RAV4s have behaved like that for years. You can safely drive to zero miles / light on / empty before filling up - assuming filling stations are readily available - but once you've got to that point you have no idea at all how much you have left! So you don't need to worry before the light comes on, but you do need to fill up as soon as it does ... 😉

[forkingabout]

A lot of modern vehicles have decent fuel reserve left once the low fuel warning light comes on.

My previous Peugeot 308 T9 was exactly the same, low fuel warning light comes on & still just under 10 litres left in the tank.

I would guess this early warning light trend is to help stop idiots running out of fuel.

[FROSTYBALLS]

In the full owners manual, if you look in the index under warning lights, and low fuel light, the page referred to will give the approx amount of fuel remaining when the low fuel light comes on.

[Trewithy]

Having run out of fuel in my Mini Metro when the gauge was only just down to the quarter mark I have always been a bit cautious.  However last week I let the tank run down to 48 miles to go and then put in 33.7 litres.  So there was more than 9 litres remaining in the tank, enough to do another 100 miles theoretically.  I thought the low fuel warning light would have come on at 50 miles to go but it didn't illuminate at all.   

[forkingabout]

58 minutes ago, Trewithy said:

I thought the low fuel warning light would have come on at 50 miles to go but it didn't illuminate at all.   

You need to get the miles remaining lower then that to illuminate the low fuel warning light.

[AndyRC]

1 minute ago, forkingabout said:

You need to get the miles remaining lower then that to illuminate the low fuel warning light.

Think it came on with about 25 miles , in reality was more like 90/100 

[Big_D]

On 10/22/2022 at 12:56 PM, AndyRC said:

Think it came on with about 25 miles , in reality was more like 90/100 

That sounds about right

[Haliotis]

Probably from a throwback from our caravanning days, particularly in France, I developed the habit of topping up the tank at the half empty mark, and this refuelling procedure has stuck with me. Once the tank is full, it costs no more to fill from half empty-to-full, as it does from empty-to-half full.

There is the argument this will reduce mpg due to the heavier load of a full tank, but I see this as a bit of a myth. The common heavy use of throttle and brake as demonstrated by many drivers is probably a more likely way of reducing achieved mpg.

On that subject, I wonder how many drivers of hybrids lose  savings by continuing to drive heavy-footed on the throttle and brake?

Regarding the thread, I’ll never have any idea of what I could get when the “empty” warning came on.  I’ll probably never know if this warning light is even working. LOL

[Cyker]

That's one thing I love about my Mk4 - I can go heavy on the accelerator and still get stupid mpgs, as long as I can keep the momentum going.  

The trick seems to be minimizing braking as much as possible (Tricky with all the idiot drivers/bikers/scooter/pedestrians down here!)

[Haliotis]

On 7/17/2023 at 7:30 PM, Cyker said:

 

………The trick seems to be minimizing braking as much as possible (Tricky with all the idiot drivers/bikers/scooter/pedestrians down here!)

I don’t know where “down here” is, but not likely to be different to anywhere else - you get these idiots EVERYWHERE.  

We live near to a school, and the driving by parents is something to behold.  Parking around the corners of junctions (our home is opposite one), and getting kids into/out of their cars on the roadside of their vehicles with other cars trying to squeeze by is common practice.

[TonyHSD]

The trick is to maintain constant speed with minimum variation, see how the the passenger airplane fly, that’s ideal. 

[Big_D]

I also tend to fill up when I get to the halfway mark. That way, a full tank costs me half the price 😁

[Cyker]

On 7/19/2023 at 12:01 PM, TonyHSD said:

The trick is to maintain constant speed with minimum variation, see how the the passenger airplane fly, that’s ideal. 

That works well, esp. in conjuction with the cruise control, although I prefer more the pulse and glide technique myself - It suits my bursty driving style, and you can run the glide part out for ages on just MG2 before it looses too much speed!

[Derek.w]

55 minutes ago, Big_D said:

I also tend to fill up when I get to the halfway mark. That way, a full tank costs me half the price 😁

I presume a shortage of garages in your area with fuel at a decent price I fill up all the time when half empty if the price is right if not I go until one quarter full.

[Big_D]

On the contrary. Loads of garages around, with two which I pass every Saturday. Their prices are £1.359 and £1.349 per litre at the moment. I just like to make sure I always have enough fuel in case I need to make an unexpected trip.