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Poor Hybrid Mileage
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Does it show you your mileage since the very beginning? Or just This Trip / Last Refill / Custom?I have a 2023 Sportage EX Hybrid with about 5700 miles. I just checked and the computer in the car says I've gotten 38.1 MPG cumulatively since I picked it up new, and 39.5 so far on this tankful. I have not calculated my mpg based on total usage, although I plan to do so one day. I am 74 years old, I figure my reaction times are slower, and so tend to drive a little under the speed limit. I live in the high mountains of WV, so a lot of up and down hills.
I notice that if I start out with the engine cold, the engine runs a while, to warm up I assume, and so on a very short trip, my mileage on "this drive" will be poor.
I am persuaded that I can get better mileage if I do not use the cruise control so much going up and down hills. I am content to go up at maybe 10 under the limit to save gas, accelerate after I crest the top, and coast down when possible or simply re-activate the cruise control. (If someone else is behind me, I will drive at about the speed limit so as not to be a rolling roadblock.)
On a couple of trips to Ohio, I have driven at about 65 on the interstates and 55 on state highways and seem to get mileage in the neighborhood of 36. If the computer is to be believed, 55 mph gets much better mileage than 65 mph.
I leave the drive selection on ECO these days.
Replies
It also shows total/cumulative. I have 16K+ on mine now, in the middle of my 2nd winter in New England, drive 75ish on the highway and am getting just under 35 MPG cumulative. Really great for this large an AWD car, w/“normal” tranny!Does it show you your mileage since the very beginning? Or just This Trip / Last Refill / Custom?
According to the car's computer, I've driven 5992 miles over 205:45 hours. Just over 29 mpg. I've given up on ever getting anything better in a Sportage Hybrid. :-(
Those were my numbers since I picked it up at the dealer when it had 3 miles on the odometer. The fuel economy (MPG) is noticeably less since the weather turned cold. It now has 6801 miles on the odometer and shows that I have gotten 37.1 MPG in those 6800 miles since I drove it off the showroom floor. Since the last refill the computer shows 35.9 MPG over 278 miles. I still have not calculated the MPG since new on the basis of the gasoline I have put in it. Based on checking individual refills, I think the computer is a little optimistic, showing maybe 1 to 2 MPG better than reality.Does it show you your mileage since the very beginning? Or just This Trip / Last Refill / Custom?
Since posting the reply immediately above, it has occurred to me that the somewhat poorer mileage since the weather turned cold would be due to the battery being much less efficient at cold temperatures.
Battery performance is definitely worse when the temperature is 40s or below. The lower the worse.Since posting the reply immediately above, it has occurred to me that the somewhat poorer mileage since the weather turned cold would be due to the battery being much less efficient at cold temperatures.
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I've been getting 14 mpg in town
Having major buyers remorse
Having major buyers remorse
Definitely something wrong there. You should ask your dealer to have a look.I've been getting 14 mpg in town
Having major buyers remorse
Questions:
- Do you have a Sportage HEV or a regular (gas only) Sportage?
- Do you idle your Sportage for long periods of time? Anytime you’re idling but not moving that counts against your MPG.
Can you be more specific? How far you are driving in-town and under what conditions?I've been getting 14 mpg in town
Having major buyers remorse
I routinely drive to the post office, about 4 blocks away, to get my mail. (I’m old and have a bad knee.) I have noticed in cold weather with my hybrid that if I start with the engine cold, the engine will run the entire time and I will get mileage in the high teens on the very short trip. If I stop at the post office on the way home after driving some distance (engine warm) the short drive from the post office to home will get absurdly high MPG because the car is running almost entirely on electricity.
I live in a very rural area and do not often drive much in the city. But last summer I was running some errands in Beckley, WV, and drove across town, with the engine already warm from driving to get there, with stop and go traffic on busy streets and many traffic lights. On the trek across town, I got upwards of 40 MPG.
Wayne
I used to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 - 38 MPH (especially if I nurse it). Now, it is down to 27 - 29. I never thought about it being the colder weather effecting it. That's a pretty drastic change though.
Now that's what I love to see....granted it's only a mile, LOL but enough to get to gym and club house and better than in a golf cart. The hwy ...a different story.
The computer is estimating as you drive and doesn't have the insight or calibration to show true MPG (nor do manufacturers have any incentive to show lower, real MPGs). Gas pumps are highly regulated and tested to ensure you're only paying for the fuel you get, and are therefore much more accurate than relatively unregulated and imprecise dashboard MPG estimates. At worst, if you use one pump that stops filling a little further from the top of the tank than another, any margin of error will be corrected by combining data from a few fill-ups.I tend to trust the computer over the gas pump. There is no calibration standard for the shutoff on a gas pump. My experience is that you will never know exactly how full your tank is by trusting the pump. Also, it is all relative, if you use the computer and compare it to itself, you will see how your driving habits effect MPG. It doesn't matter if it the number is not exactly right.
I greatly appreciate everyone's inputs here and especially those who've given me hope that my new 2024 Sportage hybrid's mileage will improve. It's averaged an abysmal ~27 MPG on the first 3,000 miles vs. the 38 MPG it's rated. I'm in New England and it's winter, so the temperatures have been around 20-40 F most days, which I know reduces efficiency but shouldn't hurt it THIS much - or such a huge variance should be disclosed, especially for cars sold in climates that experience actual winters.
Meanwhile, I'm getting 30+ MPGs on my old Subaru that's rated 28, so it isn't bad gas or bad driving. Although... my husband does consistently get lower gas mileage than me on any vehicle and he has driven the Sportage more than me! Still, the difference has never been this dramatic, and about a third of those Sportage miles are mine.
I thought there might be a break-in period of the first few hundred, maybe thousand miles, but not getting anywhere near the rated mileage by now has had me worried and wondering if I made the wrong decision with this car. We otherwise LOVE it, but the gas mileage was a big part of the purchase decision and justified spending more for the hybrid. At an average 15K miles/year and gas price of $3.50/gal., this much lower than rated mileage will cost an extra $562 a year on gas - not to mention at least 12 extra stops at the gas pump and the environmental impacts of extra fuel consumption. If this car costs me an extra $2500+ in five years, $5K+ in 10 years due to false advertising, that's an egregious failing on Kia's part (what's the criteria for a class action lawsuit?). Here's hoping a little more breaking in time and warmer weather will make a big difference.
Meanwhile, I'm getting 30+ MPGs on my old Subaru that's rated 28, so it isn't bad gas or bad driving. Although... my husband does consistently get lower gas mileage than me on any vehicle and he has driven the Sportage more than me! Still, the difference has never been this dramatic, and about a third of those Sportage miles are mine.
I thought there might be a break-in period of the first few hundred, maybe thousand miles, but not getting anywhere near the rated mileage by now has had me worried and wondering if I made the wrong decision with this car. We otherwise LOVE it, but the gas mileage was a big part of the purchase decision and justified spending more for the hybrid. At an average 15K miles/year and gas price of $3.50/gal., this much lower than rated mileage will cost an extra $562 a year on gas - not to mention at least 12 extra stops at the gas pump and the environmental impacts of extra fuel consumption. If this car costs me an extra $2500+ in five years, $5K+ in 10 years due to false advertising, that's an egregious failing on Kia's part (what's the criteria for a class action lawsuit?). Here's hoping a little more breaking in time and warmer weather will make a big difference.
Sit tight 1TKLTD. Check back in again in Sept. Best to drive through all seasons before you judge. I found the break-in period to take more than 3K miles, actually. Watch your hybrid drive meter on a highway drive. Does it charge to 75% and then switch to EV and then drain down to almost 25% before engaging ICE again? If so, it's broken in. If not, have patience.
Do either/both of you drive on the highway (70+MPH) a lot? Bad for hybrid mileage, if you do.
And you both know how to "ride" the brakes for longer stopping distances w/charging gauge NOT PINNED at the bottom (actual brakes engaging)? This is where the majority of hybrid car efficiency comes from. If you aren't using regen brakes enough, your gas mileage will be closer to an ICE. That's why they are so great in Stop & Go traffic (and were designed for Tokyo & CA traffic originally).
Do either/both of you drive on the highway (70+MPH) a lot? Bad for hybrid mileage, if you do.
And you both know how to "ride" the brakes for longer stopping distances w/charging gauge NOT PINNED at the bottom (actual brakes engaging)? This is where the majority of hybrid car efficiency comes from. If you aren't using regen brakes enough, your gas mileage will be closer to an ICE. That's why they are so great in Stop & Go traffic (and were designed for Tokyo & CA traffic originally).
Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, I make a game out of optimizing both drive efficiency and regen braking. My husband less so, but I'm working on him. Still, a car shouldn't take a master hybrid gamer to get at least close to the rated mileage. Driving is mixed, around 60% city/rural (25-55 MPH) and 40% highway (55-75 MPH).Sit tight 1TKLTD. Check back in again in Sept. Best to drive through all seasons before you judge. I found the break-in period to take more than 3K miles, actually. Watch your hybrid drive meter on a highway drive. Does it charge to 75% and then switch to EV and then drain down to almost 25% before engaging ICE again? If so, it's broken in. If not, have patience.
Do either/both of you drive on the highway (70+MPH) a lot? Bad for hybrid mileage, if you do.
And you both know how to "ride" the brakes for longer stopping distances w/charging gauge NOT PINNED at the bottom (actual brakes engaging)? This is where the majority of hybrid car efficiency comes from. If you aren't using regen brakes enough, your gas mileage will be closer to an ICE. That's why they are so great in Stop & Go traffic (and were designed for Tokyo & CA traffic originally).
We had a Honda Insight ~15 years ago and a CR-Z for the last 10, and consistently got around the rated mileage (my husband just below, me consistently above). Both of the Honda hybrids got great gas mileage from day 1 without thousands of miles of battery break-in, and they only lost 2-5% efficiency during the winter (vs. the 28% below rated mileage my Sportage is running at).
So I went to Kia for the BMS update that was to fix the check hybrid battery warning and poor mileage. It seems that it is worse than before on hwy. Seems to to go to EV less than before even on surface roads and less mileage than before under same conditions. Could it have been updated incorrectly and need to be redone. Other threads on FB say this update has improved performance.Sit tight 1TKLTD. Check back in again in Sept. Best to drive through all seasons before you judge. I found the break-in period to take more than 3K miles, actually. Watch your hybrid drive meter on a highway drive. Does it charge to 75% and then switch to EV and then drain down to almost 25% before engaging ICE again? If so, it's broken in. If not, have patience.
Do either/both of you drive on the highway (70+MPH) a lot? Bad for hybrid mileage, if you do.
And you both know how to "ride" the brakes for longer stopping distances w/charging gauge NOT PINNED at the bottom (actual brakes engaging)? This is where the majority of hybrid car efficiency comes from. If you aren't using regen brakes enough, your gas mileage will be closer to an ICE. That's why they are so great in Stop & Go traffic (and were designed for Tokyo & CA traffic originally).
I just purchased a 2024 Sportage LX FWD and I am horrified by the blatantly poor mileage. I see several posts stating "careful" driving and "break in periods". A car that advertises 42 City and 44 Highway should not be averaging 30.8 MPG. I feel like I could have saved thousands by purchasing a non hybird.
I recently bought the 2024 Sportage Hybrid and I'm getting even less than that! Sometimes I'm getting less than 26 MPG and I'm ready to take it back to the KIA dealership.I recently bought a 2023 Sportage Hybrid (all wheel drive) and just filled my tank for the second time. I'm a little bit concerned about its mileage, which is just barely better than the 2010 all-gas vehicle I just got rid of.
Kia's website (and the car's sticker) says the hybrid should be getting 38 mpg for City, Highway and Combined. My dashboard, however, says I am getting only 29.1 mpg. It has never yet been higher than that. My driving has been a somewhat even combination of street and freeway driving... but either way I should be averaging about 38, right?
29 mpg is very disappointing. Is this common among others here?
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with/wisdom about driving hybrids. It's clear that I missed a major characteristic affecting mpg--temperature. Should've caught this one beFORE buying! I live in a place with all four seasons, and one of them is very hot (often over 90 F), and one is very cold (typically under 32 F). On the up side, I may finally tame my heavy foot in favor of better mpg!I have been driving a hybrid for 10 years and I have to say it is a learned art to squeeze the most out of it. Things I have learned:
1. When braking, stay in the charge zone as much as possible. Make it a game. On my hybrid with 150K miles, my lifetime average for energy recovery is 91%. PS, still on original brake pads.
2. Keep tires properly inflated.
3. EPA Hiway mileage test has average speed of 48 mph. Not very realistic. I have gotten the EPA expected but it is not the norm.
4. Heat and cold reduce MPG. Above 90 and below 40 will reduce MPG.
5. Wind matters. On one trip during the tail wind part, I got 30% higher MPG than on the headwind return trip.
6. Use the cruise control. That alone will give you an extra 3 MPG.
Thanks for your insightful comments, steveo. This is why, surprisingly, the mpg shot up to over 30 for the first time while driving in Portland, OR traffic earlier this week.Sit tight 1TKLTD. Check back in again in Sept. Best to drive through all seasons before you judge. I found the break-in period to take more than 3K miles, actually. Watch your hybrid drive meter on a highway drive. Does it charge to 75% and then switch to EV and then drain down to almost 25% before engaging ICE again? If so, it's broken in. If not, have patience.
Do either/both of you drive on the highway (70+MPH) a lot? Bad for hybrid mileage, if you do.
And you both know how to "ride" the brakes for longer stopping distances w/charging gauge NOT PINNED at the bottom (actual brakes engaging)? This is where the majority of hybrid car efficiency comes from. If you aren't using regen brakes enough, your gas mileage will be closer to an ICE. That's why they are so great in Stop & Go traffic (and were designed for Tokyo & CA traffic originally).
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Mine is almost identical at only 28 mpg???!!!I recently bought a 2023 Sportage Hybrid (all wheel drive) and just filled my tank for the second time. I'm a little bit concerned about its mileage, which is just barely better than the 2010 all-gas vehicle I just got rid of.
Kia's website (and the car's sticker) says the hybrid should be getting 38 mpg for City, Highway and Combined. My dashboard, however, says I am getting only 29.1 mpg. It has never yet been higher than that. My driving has been a somewhat even combination of street and freeway driving... but either way I should be averaging about 38, right?
29 mpg is very disappointing. Is this common among others here?