Optimizing Fuel Efficiency: Understanding 'Good' Car Fuel Consumption

Fuel economy is a measure of how efficiently a vehicle uses fuel, measured by how far it can travel on a certain amount of gas or diesel. Fuel consumption is measured by litres per 100 kilometres (L/100km). Excellent average fuel economy for a car is between five to eight litres per 100 kilometres, which reflects a balance of performance and fuel efficiency for most passenger vehicles. Acceptable fuel economy varies by vehicle type but generally falls within the range of eight to 12 litres per 100 kilometres for most passenger vehicles, including mid-size SUVs and some larger sedans.

Fuel economy is how efficiently a vehicle uses fuel

The lower the number of litres stated, the better the fuel economy. In Canada, fuel economy is measured in litres per 100 kilometres (L/100km), not miles per gallon (MPG) like in the United States.

An excellent average fuel economy for a car is between five to eight litres per 100 kilometres, which reflects a balance of performance and fuel efficiency for most passenger vehicles. Anything that is listed as less than 6-litres/100km or more than 16.5km/1-litre is considered to be pretty good.

Rule of thumb: the lower the number of litres stated, the better the fuel economy.

Acceptable fuel economy varies by vehicle type but generally falls within the range of eight to 12 litres per 100 kilometres for most passenger vehicles, including mid-size SUVs and some larger sedans, balancing performance with fuel consumption.

Ten litres per 100km is considered average for larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks but is on the higher side for smaller passenger cars, where lower figures are more desirable.

Average fuel consumption for SUVs is around 10 litres per 100km

Ten litres per 100km is considered average for larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks but is on the higher side for smaller passenger cars, where lower figures are more desirable. An excellent average fuel economy for a car is between five to eight litres per 100 kilometres, which reflects a balance of performance and fuel efficiency for most passenger vehicles. Acceptable fuel economy varies by vehicle type but generally falls within the range of eight to 12 litres per 100 kilometres for most passenger vehicles, including mid-size SUVs and some larger sedans, balancing performance with fuel consumption.

Fuel economy is how efficiently a vehicle uses fuel, measured by how far it can travel on a certain amount of gas or diesel, like miles per gallon (MPG) or litres per 100 kilometres (L/100km). In Canada, we measure how good a car’s gas mileage is by using litres per 100 kilometres (L/100km), not miles per gallon (MPG) like in the United States.

Because there’s a huge difference in the average fuel consumption per 100km between cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles, there are no hard and fast rules on this subject. However, as a rule of thumb, a small city hatchback should be able to achieve an average fuel consumption of around six to seven litres per 100km, a mid-sized SUV will be closer to eight or nine litres per 100km and a full-sized family SUV will use closer to 10 litres per 100km in the real world. Something like a dual-cab, four-wheel drive ute – even though it has a diesel engine – is also likely to be around the 10 litres per 100km mark.

Anything that is listed as less than 6-litres/100km or more than 16.5km/1-litre is considered to be pretty good. The first (and most common) reference is litres per 100km (litres/100km). This is how many litres of fuel the car needs in order to travel 100km. You’ll often see it referred to as ‘fuel economy’. Rule of thumb on this one: the lower the number of litres stated, the better the fuel economy. Not as frequently used in Australia, kilometres per litre (km/1-litre) is another way to look at a car’s fuel consumption. In this instance, the higher the number of kilometres travelled the more fuel-efficient.

If a car uses between six and eight litres for every 100 kilometres, it’s doing pretty good on gas. This includes smaller and some medium-sized cars. Cars that need eight to 10 litres to go 100 kilometres are average; they’re not the best, but not the worst.

Excellent fuel economy is between 5-8 litres per 100km

Excellent fuel economy for a car is between five to eight litres per 100 kilometres. This is the average for most passenger vehicles and reflects a balance of performance and fuel efficiency.

The lower the number of litres stated, the better the fuel economy. Anything that is listed as less than 6-litres/100km or more than 16.5km/1-litre is considered to be pretty good.

Fuel economy is how efficiently a vehicle uses fuel, measured by how far it can travel on a certain amount of gas or diesel. It is measured by how many litres of fuel the car needs in order to travel 100km.

Acceptable fuel economy varies by vehicle type but generally falls within the range of eight to 12 litres per 100 kilometres for most passenger vehicles, including mid-size SUVs and some larger sedans.

Ten litres per 100km is considered average for larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks but is on the higher side for smaller passenger cars, where lower figures are more desirable.

Smaller cars are more fuel-efficient than larger vehicles

Smaller cars that use between six and eight litres for every 100 kilometres are doing pretty good on gas. This includes smaller and some medium-sized cars. Cars that need eight to 10 litres to go 100 kilometres are average; they’re not the best, but not the worst.

In Canada, we measure how good a car’s gas mileage is by using litres per 100 kilometres (L/100km), not miles per gallon (MPG) like in the United States. To figure out what good gas mileage looks like in Canada, you need to look at the average fuel consumption figures for vehicles in various categories and consider the type of driving you do most often in the city, highway, or a mix of both.

Because there’s a huge difference in the average fuel consumption per 100km between cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles, there are no hard and fast rules on this subject. However, as a rule of thumb, a small city hatchback should be able to achieve an average fuel consumption of around six to seven litres per 100km, a mid-sized SUV will be closer to eight or nine litres per 100km and a full-sized family SUV will use closer to 10 litres per 100km in the real world.

Anything that is listed as less than 6-litres/100km or more than 16.5km/1-litre is considered to be pretty good. The first (and most common) reference is litres per 100km (litres/100km). This is how many litres of fuel the car needs in order to travel 100km. You’ll often see it referred to as ‘fuel economy’. Rule of thumb on this one: the lower the number of litres stated, the better the fuel economy.

Fuel consumption is measured in litres per 100km

An excellent average fuel economy for a car is between five to eight litres per 100 kilometres, which reflects a balance of performance and fuel efficiency for most passenger vehicles. Acceptable fuel economy varies by vehicle type but generally falls within the range of eight to 12 litres per 100 kilometres for most passenger vehicles, including mid-size SUVs and some larger sedans, balancing performance with fuel consumption.

In Canada, we measure how good a car’s gas mileage is by using litres per 100 kilometres (L/100km), not miles per gallon (MPG) like in the United States. To figure out what good gas mileage looks like in Canada, you need to look at the average fuel consumption figures for vehicles in various categories and consider the type of driving you do most often in the city, highway, or a mix of both.

Because there’s a huge difference in the average fuel consumption per 100km between cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles, there are no hard and fast rules on this subject. However, as a rule of thumb, a small city hatchback should be able to achieve an average fuel consumption of around six to seven litres per 100km, a mid-sized SUV will be closer to eight or nine litres per 100km and a full-sized family SUV will use closer to 10 litres per 100km in the real world.

Ten litres per 100km is considered average for larger vehicles like SUVs and trucks but is on the higher side for smaller passenger cars, where lower figures are more desirable. Cars that need eight to 10 litres to go 100 kilometres are average; they’re not the best, but not the worst. If a car uses between six and eight litres for every 100 kilometres, it’s doing pretty good on gas. This includes smaller and some medium-sized cars.

Frequently asked questions