TrueDelta Reviews the Real Gas Mileage of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
2015 Chevrolet Volt Real Gas Mileage: Pros
Year
Comment
2016
From the start, the primary reason to buy either the Chevrolet Volt or the Toyota Prius has been energy efficiency. Which is more efficient depends on how many miles you tend to drive each day.
The Volt is a car like no other. It can travel much farther and accelerate much more quickly on electricity alone than other plug-in hybrids. Consequently, it usually operates like a fully electric vehicle (EV). Other plug-in hybrids must rely much more often on their gasoline engines. While the Volt can't travel nearly as far on electricity alone as pure EVs, they don't have a gas engine as a backup. As long as there's a fossil fuel dispensary around you never have to worry about running out of juice in the Volt.
How much farther can the new Volt travel on a full charge? GM's engineers enlarged and improved the battery pack, increased the efficiency of the electric motor and transmission, and reduced the car's weight by a massive 240 pounds. These changes increased the car's battery-powered range in the EPA's test from 38 to 53 miles. The 2012-2015 Prius Plug-in Hybrid had a range of only 11 miles even with the gas engine assisting with acceleration. (The upcoming Prius Prime should do better, but will likely still have much less battery-powered range and performance than the Volt.) As in all EVs and plug-ins, though, cold weather or heavy A/C use will significantly reduce the Volt's range.
If your drives are rarely long enough to run the Volt's battery down, and you live in an area where the price of electricity is at or below the national average (or discounted at night), the Volt will cost less to operate than the Prius. Be aware that the price of electricity varies far more than the price of gasoline depending on where you live. Also, with gas prices down and the Prius's fuel efficiency up, the advantage of running on electricity isn't as large as it used to be. If your electricity is expensive, the Prius will actually cost less to drive. But will gas prices remain low?
If you do need to run the new Volt on gasoline, then it manages very good but not amazing fuel economy, 42 mpg combined in the EPA's tests (up from the 2011-2015's 37 mpg). The Prius Eco scored 56 mpg, and in my driving easily exceeded this number.
If your focus is on the environment rather than the cost of fuel, the Volt at least potentially uses cleaner energy (depending on the source of your electricity).
Fully charging the Volt via a standard household outlet can take up to 13 hours. If you regularly drive more than 25 miles per day you'll probably want to get a 240-volt charger, which reduces the charge time to about four hours.
see full Chevrolet Volt review
What Our Members Are Saying about the Real Gas Mileage of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
2015 Chevrolet Volt Real Gas Mileage: Pros
Year
Body/Powertrain
Comment
2014
4dr Hatch 149-horsepower Electric + Gas CVT FWD
Many of us Volt owners think Chevy is under-advertising the features of the car.
Our usage in three months is 3100 miles. Our tabulated mileage for gasoline is 88 MPG, or somewhere around 7 gallons a month.
The largest percentage use is on the home charged 220 volt system which loads 11 kWh into the battery. Depending on outside temperature, this gives between 34 to 38 miles of electric driving, and as spring comes, it will be into the low 40's.
An electric charge at the8c rate costs about a dollar. We bought a Clipper Creek 220 Volt charger... it does the task in 4 hours, and it is portable. You can charge on 110volts too, andthat takes 10 hours.
You have the choice of how to use the drive system: All electric first, then gas. Or gas first, then electric. And two combined modes.
In cold weather we start out with a plugged-in preheat, then go Gas Only to warm it fully, especially if the planned trip will be requiring some gas use because of the distance. For short trips, we use battery power to warm the cabin and seats.
Our shopping is a 38 mile trip with a 500 foot elevation change. We do that trip so the total gas usage is 2/10ths of a gallon, sometimes 3/10ths. Our Church trips make up a large portion of the driving miles, and they are always all electric for the 22 mile trip.
One thing this does is give a "good feeling" about running an errand.... it is esentally costless.
GM Onstar keeps track of all energy use. But I also keep a book log.
Some folks don't realize that you coulddrive this car all across the country on gas, and get 37 MPG.
see full Chevrolet Volt review
2014
4dr Hatch 149-horsepower Electric + Gas CVT FWD
So far have driven in the winter when you get the poorest mileage on the electric motor. I have 3100 km. on the car and lifetime gas consumption is 2.6 Liters per 100km. I dont think there is another car out there that can do this well and it will get even better in the Volt as the weather warms up from the minus 12 degree weather we have had all of Jan and Feb.
I LOVE NOT HAVING TO FILL UP AT THE PUMPS AND STILL HAVE NO RANGE ANXIETY.
I previously have owned two Prius and the Volt is way ahead in so many ways.see full Chevrolet Volt review
Chevrolet Volt Gas Mileage (MPG)
Unlike other fuel economy surveys, TrueDelta's Real-World Gas Mileage Survey includes questions about how and
where a car was driven. So you can get an idea of the Chevrolet Volt's
real-world MPG based on how and where you drive a car.
TrueDelta Reviews the Real Gas Mileage of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
What Our Members Are Saying about the Real Gas Mileage of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
CVT FWD
CVT FWD