How Far 50 Cars Can Make It on an Empty Tank, in One Chart

Draggin’ the line, quite literally

September 13, 2016 9:00 am

Whether you’re on the 405 or I-70 between Salina and Green River, it’s happened. The gas light — that villain of the open road, the frontier spirit, the American dream — rears its ugly crimson head.

Cue the disembodied voice of Clint Eastwood: Do ya’ feel lucky?

So you make a run for it. Forty miles to the next service station, they said. Thirty-eight miles later, the car is in neutral and you’re doubled over the bumper like Sisyphus, hoping that Amaco in the distance isn’t a mirage.

If only there were a resource that could’ve educated you about this situation …

Coming to you via car maintenance company Your Mechanic, the handy chart below displays how far the 50 best-selling cars in the U.S. in 2015 can run on an empty tank. (It also comes with a warning that driving at a low fuel level and/or running out of gas can actually damage your car … but that still beats running out of gas in the middle of nowhere.)

Do most modern cars come with this feature digitized already? Yes. So for the most part, reality remains the same. And if you’re driving a ’72 Benz 280SE, we’d advise that rather than this chart, you go with the preemptive “fortune favors the prepared.” (Or is it “the bold?”)

Either way … 

For everyone on this list though, you’re in luck: the data states that every car on the list can do 30-100 miles on a nearly empty tank — though variables such as the car’s condition and how hard you drive it still factor in.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Via Lifehacker

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.