How far can I drive on an empty tank?

I only really ever brim the tank on long drives, I usually shrug it off when the light comes on and believe that “I can still go 30 miles, easy.” I’m just the guy who drives around till the fuel needle bouncing off bottom, with the low fuel light lighting all my way. Actually, I’ve never run out of fuel, but I once drove up a mountain just to get from one European country to another. With great care I could gas up at a cheaper price.

However, driving on empty and straggling about the closest gasoline station, creating Range anxiety for you! And it is also not good for your car. While you kill the fuel pump and try to save money, it’ll cost you more on what you managed to save by looking for cheaper fuel. Because the in-tank fuel pump is cooled down when it’s submerged. Then when you take the reserve to the very bottom of the tank, the pump will be overheated. Plus, it also can suck up sediment and clog your filter.

For that reason you really should not drive with less than 25% of a tank, and it’s better to keep the tank full just in case of emergencies. And of course you do not want the engine to conk out while the car is just in the middle of traffic or in an unsafe place.

All that being said, how far are you able to actually manage when the needle showing empty? For example, if you’re driving an unfamiliar car and the fuel light comes on. How bad is your situation?

Here we put together a chart with several recent model-year cars showing just how far they are able to follow when the fuel light comes on. Keep in mind it’s just a rough approximation.  Because in the chart lists, for instance, Toyota Rave 4, it doesn’t specify which engine we’re talking about here. The difference in driving distances from model to model shows you the uncertainty and how different it can be between models. You can see with a 2015 Silverado you would like to refill 25 miles after the fuel warning light comes on, while the Nissan Altima has three gallons left within the tank at that time, when you can continue to drive and have perhaps 100 miles.

We believe that all clients deserve to know the good and bad of what they’re buying because we wanted to know these when we bought cars. That’s why at Carnex, we will proudly display every detail every step of the way. Browse all the best cars, automobile buying tips, auto insurance, young drivers, driving techniques, auto industry trends from Carnex Blog.