45-50mph
Typically, cars are most efficient at 45-50mph. As well as fuel economy differing from vehicle to vehicle, it is also dependent on a number of other factors such as tyre pressure, presence of roof racks, and driving style – all of which are covered in this guide.
What is the best speed for fuel economy?
According to the United States Department of Energy, fuel economy is the highest when you drive between 35 and 60 mph. As you go over 60 mph, the fuel efficiency drops, costing you an additional $0.24 per gallon.
How does speed affect fuel use per mile?
So in terms of fuel used per mile, the faster the car goes, the better use we make of that fixed amount of fuel required. This trend continues to a point. Eventually, that road load curve catches up with us. Once the speed gets up into the 40 mph range each 1 mph increase in speed represents a significant increase in power required.
What is the optimal speed for a car?
Eventually, even a slight increase in speed causes a much faster fuel burn. That’s the reason why the optimal speed is generally between 40 and 55 mph for most passenger cars, whereas larger cars, like SUVs and trucks, are more efficient at slightly lower speeds. Electric cars, with motors inside, are generally more powerful when accelerating.
What is the most efficient speed to drive?
This question is generally subjective, as smaller, more aerodynamic cars are more efficient at higher speeds when compared with trucks or bigger vehicles. But, in general, the most efficient speed to drive is between 40 mph and 55 mph. It’s important to understand that engines consume fuel, even when idle.
Does driving faster save time?
The average driver saves 26 seconds a day by speeding. People think it saves time. Maybe it does occasionally, if you run through a yellow light to avoid stopping for a minute. But, the time saved that speeding makes, on average, is about 2 minutes a week.
How much faster can you go than the speed limit?
However, the faster you’re traveling to start with, the more you have to exceed the speed limit to achieve the same proportionate increase. If the speed limit is 35 mph and you’re going 45 mph, you’re traveling nearly 30% faster than the speed limit. If the speed limit is 65 mph and you’re going 75 mph, that’s only about a 15% increase.
Does speeding save you time?
However, this only emphasizes the point: your speed is only one of the factors that you’ll encounter while driving and many of the things that determine how long your trip takes are out of your control. We can more or less conclude that speeding only saves you a marginal amount of time, if it saves any at all.
Does driving faster save time on long trips?
It is rather asinine that people seem to argue that driving faster saves you time on long trips but not short trips. Regardless of the length of the trip the percentage of time saved is the same, so if it is worthwhile on the long trip it is also worthwhile on the short trip.
Is it better to drive faster or slower?
The short answer: Nope. The common understanding is that going faster burns more fuel and therefore, the slower you drive, the less fuel your car will use, but this actually isn’t true. Most cars’ peak fuel efficiency occurs somewhere between 50-60 miles per hour.
