Smart Car Gas Mileage

Smart Car Environmental Impact

Most people who see the smart ask about smart car gas mileage and the smart car environmental impact. Truth is, smart car fuel economy could be better...

There's no arguing how small the smart car is. I mean, the dang thing isn't even 9 feet long, more than 3 feet shorter than the dimunitive MiniCooper. So when people look at such a small car, they expect the mileage to be astronomical, really significant.

For instance, my pickup gets about 20MPG on the highway and my wife's scooter gets 80 to 90MPG around town, so you'd think the smart car would fall somewhere in the upper half of the difference, right?

Uh, wrong... actually the smart is rated at 33MPG in the city and 41MPG on the highway. I've found I get around 40MPG; most of my driving is commuting on high speed country roads or the interstate. So that's not a terrible number... but it's not the best around either.

smartUSA claims that's the best mileage that any U.S. non-hybrid vehicle gets, so the smart is still ahead of its class. Still, if you're giving up passenger space and possibly trading on some safety (at least compared to a huge SUV or pickup), then I guess most of us would like to get at least 50MPG. But perhaps that's just not reasonable for a gas-powered car.

The smart car carries 8.7 gallons of precious gasoline in its tank, giving it a maximum driving range of around 355 miles per tankful.

Comparison of Smart Car Gas Mileage to Other Cars

The website fueleconomy.gov rates the smart fortwo car as the most fuel-efficient two-seater, as opposed to the least-efficient in the class, a Lamborghini Murcielago, which gets only 8/13MPG. Yow!

Here's a rundown of some other small car models and their gas mileage:

• Toyota Prius (hybrid) 51/48
• Mazda MX-5 22/28
• Mini Cooper 28/37
• Toyota Yaris (4-cyl/4-seater) 29/36
• Honda Civic (hybrid) 40/45
• Volkswagon Jetta Diesel 30/41

So I guess the smart car's mileage really isn't that bad...

What About the Smart Car Environmental Impact?

Despite the relatively shabby smart car gas mileage, this car is incredibly environmentally-friendly. First off, it does use less gas than many of the gas guzzlers on the road today. 40 miles to the gallon might not be super impressive, but compared to 12MPG, it seems pretty great. But, in addition...

The smart car fortwo uses innovative energy-efficient and recyclable materials in its construction. In fact, 95% of the vehicle is recyclable and the dash material is made from recycled synthetics... Talk about environmentally-friendly!

So that gives you a look at smart car gas mileage and the smart car's environmental impact or friendliness. The numbers are pretty good, overall. Perhaps they could be better in some respects, but when you buy and drive a smart car, you can be confident that you're doing your part to help the earth get a little greener...