Gas, Fuel Efficiency, Vehicles: Myths & Facts Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Gas, Fuel Efficiency, Vehicles: Myths & Facts Quiz
Image: refer to hsw

About This Quiz

Fuel is a huge expense for many Americans, with the average driver shelling out just under $2,000 a year on gas, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. People with long commutes or higher costs of living can spend much more.

Gas guzzling also has an impact on the environment, spewing pollutants into the air that affect air and water quality, which eventually harms not only people but also plants and wildlife.

The good news is that there are dozens of steps you can take to improve fuel economy, protect the planet and keep more cash in your wallet. The bad news? A surprising number of widely known fuel saving tips have no basis in fact. As cars and technology have changed over the decades, people have kept on believing the same old fuel economy myths, rather than switching to strategies that actually make a difference.

That means you could be sweating it out in a broiling car because you're convinced that using the AC or rolling down the windows will blow your gas budget. It might also mean you're missing out on easy opportunities to cut fuel costs, like maintaining the right tire pressure, in favor of things that actually have zero impact on gas mileage.

Think you have what it takes to separate fact from fiction? Take our fuel economy myths quiz to find out!

traffic True or false: Aggressive driving can significantly reduce fuel efficiency.
true
Aggressive driving can reduce gas mileage by 5 percent on city roads and as much as 33 percent on the highway.
false

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If You're Not a True Auto Expert, Don't Even Bother with This Car Engine Quiz 2 True or false: Removing 100 pounds (45 kilograms) of cargo from your vehicle can improve fuel economy by 1 percent.
true
Extra weight wastes gas, and every 100 pounds you carry can reduce gas mileage by 1 percent.
false

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23 cargo van GettyImages-90384562 True or false: Carrying cargo on top of your car cuts fuel economy by 2 to 8 percent.
true
A top-mounted cargo container cuts fuel efficiency by 2 to 8 percent in the city and as much as 25 percent on the highway.
false

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manual transmission True or false: Cars with an automatic transmission will never be as efficient as cars with a manual transmission.
true
false
In modern vehicles, cars with an automatic transmission often have the same or better mileage as the same model with manual transmission.

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Dog in back of car trunk True or false: Idling your vehicle can cost you 1 to 2 cents per minute.
true
Idling costs between 1 and 2 cents per minute in gas and can use one-third to one-half gallon of gas per hour.
false

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Cruise Control True or false: Using cruise control on the highway boosts fuel efficiency.
true
By helping you maintain a constant speed, cruise control saves you gas and money when you're driving on the highway.
false

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Honda Element True or false: It's always more efficient to let your vehicle idle than to stop it and restart it.
true
false
Starting a modern vehicle uses as much gas as 10 seconds of idling, so it almost always makes sense to turn your vehicle off rather than leave it on while you're waiting.

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4 checking tire pressure True or false: Correcting air pressure problems in your tires won't really impact fuel efficiency.
true
false
Making sure your tires are properly inflated can boost fuel economy by 3.3 percent on average.

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Road Trip True or false: Combining trips saves fuel, especially when it's cold outside.
true
Several short trips can actually consume more fuel than one longer trip covering the same total distance. This is especially true if your vehicle is cold when you start it.
false

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Tire Pressure Gauge True or false: Even a single pound-force per square inch drop in pressure can impact how much gas your car uses.
true
Every 1 pound-force per square inch (6,895 pascal) decrease in tire pressure equates to around a 0.03 percent decline in fuel economy.
false

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headphones in car True or false: The longer you allow your vehicle to warm up, the better your fuel efficiency will be.
true
false
The best way to warm up a car is to drive it. Allowing the car to sit idle simply wastes gas.

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24 Car Tune Up True or false: You can boost fuel efficiency by 4 percent by tuning up a noticeably out-of-tune vehicle.
true
If your vehicle has some problems or fails an emissions test, you can expect to boost fuel efficiency by 4 percent with a proper tuneup.
false

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How Much Do You Know About Gasoline? 1 True or false: Ethanol-blended gasoline increases fuel efficiency.
true
false
A 10-percent ethanol blend decreases fuel efficiency by around 3 percent thanks to the lower energy density of the ethanol.

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gas station True or false: Premium fuel offers no advantages to most drivers in terms of fuel economy.
true
While you should always use premium if your car requires it (check the manual), premium fuel does not improve mileage in the average vehicle.
false

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fuel gauge True or false: Fuel economy estimates are a guarantee of performance.
true
false
Fuel economy tests and ratings don't always reflect real-world performance and are designed as a way to compare the relative fuel efficiency of different vehicles.

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Lamda Sensor  True or false: Replacing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve mileage by as much as 40 percent.
true
Replacing a damaged oxygen sensor — a relatively simple fix — can improve fuel economy by as much as 40 percent.
false

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2007 Cadillac Escalade Rear True or false: Rear-mounted cargo containers are even worse for fuel economy than roof-mounted containers.
true
false
A rear-mounted cargo container only reduces mileage by 1 to 2 percent in the city and 1 to 5 percent on the highway.

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How Much Do You Know About Gasoline? 2 True or false: Around 5 percent of all consumer spending goes to gasoline.
true
The average U.S. household spends around 5 percent of their money on gas, which breaks down to almost $2,000 per household in 2015.
false

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Driving True or false: Rolling your windows down doesn't impact fuel economy when driving on the highway.
true
false
Rolling your windows down has a dramatic effect on fuel economy on the highway. To maximize efficiency, use your air conditioning on the highway and roll your windows down to cool off while driving in the city.

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16 Gas Mileage True or false: Cold weather increases gas mileage.
true
false
Fuel economy decreases by 12 percent when the temperature drops from 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

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27 speeding True or false: Speeds above 50 miles per hour (80 kilometers per hour) significantly reduce fuel efficiency.
true
Every 5 miles per hour over 50 miles per hour adds about 12 cents to each gallon of gas you buy.
false

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Ford Thunderbird True or false: A 10-year-old car will almost always get worse mileage than one that's newer.
true
false
If you properly maintain your vehicle, you shouldn't expect to find any significant decrease in fuel economy, even after 10 to 15 years of ownership.

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oil True or false: Motor oil has little impact on fuel economy.
true
false
Using the recommended motor oil for your vehicle improves fuel economy by an average of 1 to 2 percent -— that's like saving 2 to 3 cents per gallon.

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Car air freshener True or false: Air conditioning can reduce fuel efficiency by 25 percent.
true
Using your air conditioner can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 25 percent during the peak of summer.
false

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Hyundai IX-20 True or false: Smaller cars always get better gas mileage than larger ones.
true
false
Thanks to continuous improvements in auto technology, smaller cars aren't always the most efficient. In fact, half of the cars on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) list of most efficient vehicles for 2016 are midsize or larger.

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Gas Gauge True or false: Gas-saving products and additives can actually improve fuel economy.
true
false
An EPA review of more than 100 devices and products that promise to improve fuel economy found that none actually have any significant impact on mileage.

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#12 Gas True or false: Fill your car early in the morning during the summer to get the most bang for your buck.
true
false
Because most gas stations store gas underground, the idea that you'll get more gas for your money in the cooler morning hours is no more than a myth.

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Mahindra Scorpio Pickup True or false: Lowering the tailgate on your pickup worsens fuel economy.
true
In a Consumer Reports test, lowering the tailgate or adding a tonneau cover to a pickup actually made fuel economy worse, not better.
false

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Driving True or false: Driver feedback devices can improve your driving skills but don't really help fuel efficiency.
true
false
The average driver will naturally improve fuel economy by 3 percent when using a driver feedback device, while a person who uses this device primarily to improve mileage can boost efficiency by as much as 10 percent.

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Air Filter True or false: Changing a dirty air filter increases fuel efficiency.
true
false
In modern vehicles, replacing a dirty air filter may improve vehicle performance, but it's unlikely to improve fuel economy all that much.

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