Many people ask me how many miles per gallon my Lexus RX 400h gets. I’m always amazed at the kinds of expectations people have. To be quite frank, the Lexus Hybrid 400h gets decent gas mileage for being an SUV with a whopping 268hp. I bought the car naively thinking that I would get the 31 miles per gallon city and 27 highway. Well, that wasn’t quite the case…

Here’s a breakdown of the type of mileage I get for different driving conditions:

• Freeway driving during rush hour - 28 mpg
• Freeway driving with no traffic - 25 mpg
• Very fast freeway driving (80+ mph) - 21 mpg

• Street driving during rush hour - 26 mpg
• Street driving with no traffic - 24 mpg
• Rough street driving (many hills, fast acceleration) - 22 mpg

Driving the Lexus RX400h has made me more conscience of the way I drive, particularly, how I accelerate and how often I coast. The Lexus RX 400h uses its electric motors for stop and go acceleration so long as you accelerate smoothly and keep under ~30 mph. This saves a lot of gas. Here are some tips to get the most out of your gas mileage:

• Coast whenever possible
• Avoid accelerating to stop lights (I always thought it was funny arriving at a stop light the same time as someone who sped to it a distance away)
• Try to get a feel for the electric assistance and accelerate smoothly instead of sudden

Of course, I’m only human and the Lexus RX 400h has plenty of power for any speedy moment I’ve encountered so let it loose every now and then!