For drivers that like to make the most out of a gallon of gas, the Toyota Prius makes a lot of sense, as one of the most economical cars out there
. Ever since it first arrived for model year 2000 in the U.S., the Prius has taken efficiency seriously, and the current model is no different. The 2025 Prius currently offers up to an 57 mpg combined, according to the EPA, or up to 127 MPGe in the PHEV variant.It stands out as a great choice for anyone into hypermiling, which is why Wayne Gerdes picked
a 2023 model as his chariot of choice when attempting to secure a Guinness World Record for fuel efficiency. The record attempt in question was for the lowest fuel consumption driving across the U.S. from West Coast to East Coast. Gerdes managed to beat the previous record by some margin, achieving an average of 93.158 mpg across 3,211.7 miles, from Los Angeles City Hall to New York City Hall.
The exact model used by Gerdes was a fifth-generation Prius LE, which sports a 2.0-liter hybrid inline-four engine, capable of 194 horsepower, which reaches the front wheels through a CVT. Hypermiling tactics and planning ahead allowed Gerdes to exceed the EPA-rated 57 mpg average by just over 36 mpg, and for anyone else who thinks they too would like to stretch their gas dollars out a little further, he has some handy advice.
Read more: The 5 US States With The Highest Speed Limits (And 5 With The Slowest)
Digging Deeper Into This Impressive Efficiency
Across this over-3,200-mile drive, Wayne Gerdes ran into a wide range of different driving and weather conditions. For instance, 105-degree heat through the Mojave Desert, and strong winds blowing in from the Gulf of Mexico. Challenges like this do pose an issue to hypermilers, and that's why Gerdes really emphasizes the importance of planning ahead, but also in adapting the plan when necessary.
"For a record attempt like this, it's a lot of planning," he states. "You can't just go sight unseen into doing this. You have to have that plan. But you also have to be able to work on the fly. So, if things change, you have to switch up your plan. Reroute. Figure out what you're going to be able to do to achieve that goal."
In order to stop wasting fuel and achieve similar results, Gerdes suggests setting off slowly from stops, and anticipating said stops well in advance, and simply letting off of the gas instead of using the brakes. Such tactics might not see you breaking records -- after all, Gerdes is no stranger to hypermiling, having set Guinness World Records in his Prius in the past-- but they could just see you getting a few extra miles to each tank.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
