• A new study reveals the 10 vehicles offering the most range once the low-fuel warning light comes on.
You've all experienced the following situation. You're driving down the road, and the low-fuel warning light comes on. It's time to fill up. But how many kilometers can you still drive when the warning light appears on the dashboard?
The MarketWatch group has just published the results of a study that looked at which vehicles on the market offer the most range after the low-fuel warning light appears on the instrument panel.
Note that some of the models identified are sold in markets outside North America.
- 1 - Toyota RAV4 (front-wheel drive): 117.8 km
- 2 - Ford F-150 (crew cab): 115.9 km
- 3 - Honda Accord hybrid: 111.7 km
- 4 - Toyota Camry hybrid: 110.4 km
- 5 - Ram 1500 Tradesman 4x2 (crew cab): 104.6 km
- 6 - BMW X3 M50: 101.4 km
- 7 - Audi Q5 40: 91.9 km
- 8 - Mini Cooper: 87.4 km
- 9 - Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 87.0 km
- 10 - Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace: 85.3 km
As for the procedure used to arrive at the results, obviously the group’s testers couldn't possibly have driven every vehicle in the industry to the point of running out of fuel - that would have been a logistical nightmare. Instead, the organization divided each vehicle's tank capacity by ten to arrive at a figure representing 10 percent of fuel capacity. It then used the advertised economy ratings to determine the distance that could be covered, all of which it then used as a rule of three.
This is, of course, an estimate; take the figures with a grain of salt. Weather conditions, driving style, type of road travelled - all these factors can also change the data.
Still, the results are interesting.
The company also compiled a list of the 10 models that potentially cover the least distance once the fuel warning light came on. The list includes the following vehicles:
- - Hyundai Kona
- - Honda HR-V
- - Mazda CX-5
- - Kia Seltos
- - Toyota Corolla Cross
- - Hyundai Tucson
- - Kia Sportage
- - Honda CR-V
- - Chevrolet Silverado 1500
- - Honda Civic
It's worth noting that the gap between the first and last models is small, too small to be considered a major difference, especially as it can vary somewhat in reality. We're talking about 59.5 km for the Hyundai Kona and 65.8 km for the Honda Civic.
The lesson from all this for most motorists? Ideally, stop and fill up quickly when the warning light comes on.