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You know that driving at 75 mph rather than 55 wastes gas, but how much? We did the math, driving a steady 55, 65, and 75 mph in a Honda Accord, a Toyota RAV4, and three versions of a Ford Fusion. The penalty for speeding, even in those relatively fuel efficient cars: a loss of up to 14 mpg.
True, driving 200 miles at 75 instead of 55 shaves an hour off your trip. But in the cars we used, it also wastes 1½ to 2 gallons and costs about $5 to $7. For every thousand miles at 75 mph, you're increasing carbon footprint by 7 to 10 gallons and throwing away about $30.
Need more motivation? High speeds increase the likelihood of a crash and slash the odds of surviving one, says the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Other gas-saving tips. Drive smoothly when possible, avoiding hard acceleration and hard braking. Combine short trips to avoid driving with a cold engine, and keep tires properly inflated. Turn the car off if it will be idling for more than about 30 seconds.
| Model | 55 mph | 65 mph | 75 mph | mpg drop 55-75 |
| Honda Accord LX 4-cyl. | 49 mpg | 42 mpg | 35 mpg | 29% |
| Ford Fusion Hybrid | 49 | 41 | 36 | 27 |
| Ford Fusion 1.6 4-cyl. | 41 | 36 | 30 | 27 |
| Ford Fusion Titanium 2.0 4-cyl. | 41 | 34 | 28 | 32 |
| Toyota RAV4 | 37 | 33 | 27 | 27 |
—Consumer Reports
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