Meaning & use
miles per gallon
Last updated
Meaning
phraseplural
a measure of how far a vehicle can travel on one gallon of fuel
Grammar: The phrase is plural in form but often used as a singular unit: a car gets 30 miles per gallon.
Patterns
- get miles per gallon
- miles per gallon of something
My new car gets about 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
The truck's fuel efficiency is only 15 miles per gallon.
Higher miles per gallon means you spend less on gas.
Common combinations
- get miles per gallon
- This small car gets 50 miles per gallon.
- miles per gallon rating
- The official miles per gallon rating is 35.
- improve miles per gallon
- Regular maintenance can improve your miles per gallon.
- miles per gallon (mpg)
- The abbreviation mpg stands for miles per gallon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fuel efficiency
- A broader term that can be measured in different units, not just miles per gallon.
- mpg
- The abbreviation of miles per gallon, used especially in writing.
Commonly confused: miles per gallon or miles per hour?
miles per gallon vs miles per hour
Miles per hour measures speed, while miles per gallon measures fuel efficiency.
Practice
A car that gets 30 miles per gallon can travel how far on 2 gallons of fuel?
Choose one answer.
Miles per gallon tells you the distance per gallon. 30 miles per gallon × 2 gallons = 60 miles. The other options do not correctly apply the ratio.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “miles per gallon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.