crluvearth

I recently purchased the 2017 ES 300h the beginning of Dec, this is my 3rd Lexus hybrid. The MGP rating for this vehicle is 39/40 but the most I've been able to get is 30, which is less than my last vehicle which averaged 35 MPG (regardless of weather (heat, A/C, etc). I called my local dealer and was told they've received a lot of calls regarding this issue and the official statement, which makes zero sense to me, is I need to wait until I drive 6-10k miles before the car will adjust to my driving style and the at some point the MPG will start to increase (one rep said 6k and one stated 10k). I drive around 10k a year so basically I'm being told I may need to wait an entire year before I'll get close to the 39-40 MPG.

After searching online I have been unable to find any supporting reviews/comments on this issue so wondering if anyone else is experiencing this or has ever heard of a vehicle needing to "adjust" before increasing to the rated MPG? I understand a rating is not guaranteed or 100% accurate but my previous 2 hybrids were both in very close range of the vehicle ratings.

I have already called my Lexus dealer twice and spoke with two different people, both giving me a similar answer with different "adjustment" times. I don't feel like this explanation makes sense and wondering how I can get an honest answer/explanation?

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

Cindy

jollick

My 2013 averages 36 mpg. I have tracked it since new 3 years ago. I would guess that perhaps 500 to 1,000 miles to get best mpg, however you are an experienced hybrid owner so you should get the best from day 1. How many miles are on the car? Had anything changed regarding your daily commute? Also, calculate the mpg per tank, do not go by the on-board reading. To me it sounds like they are giving you a BS story. Next step might be to call Lexus corporate.

lesz

During the winter, when the temperatures get lower, mpg is also likely to go down. The times when fuel efficiency is at its worst are during the time it takes for the engine to warm up to normal operating temperature, and, the colder the temperatures are, the longer it takes for the engine to warm to normal operating temperature, which causes mpg to go down. Also, during the winter, many are inclined to let their cars warm up before driving, and that further decrease fuel efficiency.

With a traditional internal combustion engine, fuel efficiency can drop by 25% or more during the winter, and that is especially true for those whose driving requires taking lots of short trips because driving short distances and, then, shutting the engine down means having to re-warm the engine more often. I suspect that, for hybrids, the loss in fuel economy is similar during colder weather.

Thus, I wouldn't be inclined to make any judgment until I had the car through a full cycle of seasons.

crluvearth

Thank you Jollick and Lesz for the feedback/suggestions, you both gave some good points to think about.

As for driving in winter, I agree with your points but having had 2 other Lexus hybrids in the past, one ES and one GS, I am familiar with the seasonal fluctuations and have never encountered this much difference. It's only been a short time so I agree it may take more time to get a true MPG, I currently have around 1,500 miles. I typically drive more in town and the 2017 ES has a better MPG rating for city versus hwy which is different then my previous ES.

30 MPG is still great but I purchase hybrids because I want the best fuel economy so was really excited to see the 2017 rated even higher than my last car.

Jollick, what is the best way to track your MPG after refill? Since I'm not filling completely empty when I fill I'm not sure how much I'm actually using each time? The car has a setting showing overall MPG and after refill but sounds like this isn't the most accurate method?

Thank you both again!

Cindy

lesz

My experience has been that the "mpg after refill" information is in the ballpark, but it can differ somewhat from actual mpg. I try to monitor my mpg regularly. The way I do it is, at the time of every refill, I reset one of the trip odometers to 0. Then, when I'm done refueling, in just a few seconds, I can divide the new reading on that trip odometer by the number of gallons of gas that it took to refill the tank. That gives me about as accurate a reading on fuel economy as I can get.

bunnies

We have 9K miles now on our 2016 and the lifetime average is 37mpg. We drive 99% of the time in normal mode.

TechNut

We average about 36 with our ES. This has been the most severe winter I have ever seen and we dropped to about 33. I don't recall it taking very long to get our peak mileage. Perhaps within the first 1000 miles?

Heck, during this severe winter the worst tank we had on our NX hybrid was 30 MPG (at 4000 miles on the ODO). It has the exact same drivetrain under the hood, but adds an electric motor to the rear wheels as it is the AWD model. It is heavier and taller so it averages about 5 to 7 MPG less than the ES. So the fact that you are only getting 30 sounds awful based on my experience with our hybrid ES and even compared to our hybrid NX.

pgiinc

I have a 2016es300h on the first day I drove 78 miles on mostly flat ground 79 to 54 mph on the trip and I got 41mpg

in the summer I can get 40 to 42 on same trip winter is goes down 4mpg 36 to 38
what you might see is 38-42 summer 34-38 winter cause the engine runs to heat the car

Philip
2016 es300h
2015 nx300h

mcomer

Is your local fuel 10-15% Ethanol? Ours is and it "costs" an 8% reduction in MPG's.
This would of course affected your previous cars as well. Might the original Dealer
supplied tank have been Premium? I have read that higher Octane (slower burning)
fuel in a car tuned for Regular will actually get lower mileage.

bostonsnow

I have been getting , on the dash, approx 35-36 MPG, driving primarily in NORMAL mode, and has been consistent ever since buying the car. I'm now at 6000 miles, there is no change from new to now.

I am an average driver, reasonably conservative but dont particularly think about driving to maximize fuel economy. I'm in Southern California, so we dont really have cold weather to comment about.

I would consider your driving style in the mix. Also , I agree to calculate a real MPG as lesz suggested, and see if that differs from what is on the dash

I agree to also consider what gas you are using. I use regular gas but always go to a brand name place. Not sure the maximum ethanol content here in california.

If all of that fails, consider having another person drive for a day or two and see what MPG they get

If you are still in the 30 range - there have been some people commenting about that. Then you can try calling Lexus corporate, but some other posters have not had great luck with that. Keep trying!

pgiinc

I live in Virginia I don't know it all has a little ethanol in it here I just put regular in it This is my 4th hybrid they all get what the manufacture says you just have to drive right its a great system brilliant design

jollick

lesz said it all. That is the best and most accurate way to get your true mpg. I also use a free web site and their iPhone app to keep my records. http://www.fuelly.com/car/lexus/es30...jollick/232133

kallen81

Just wanted to chime in on this in the hopes others do as well. I got my 2017 Lexus es 300h a few months ago. Has 35,000 miles on it. I live in northern VA and basically drive in horrid traffic every day. I dont drive aggressive, keep it in normal, and coast to red lights as much as possible. All of that said, I've consistently gotten 40/41 mpg. I divide total miles driven on the tank of gas by how many gallons I pump in. I reset the ODO at the station. Regular gas. Basically it's a fantastic car and in my experience gets fantastic mileage.

Freds430

A 2017 and in the winter months 35 mpg combined and 38 mpg highway In the warmer months 37 combined 41 highway. Fantastic mileage for a car this large.