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How Far You Can Drive On Indian Roads When The Fuel Light Comes On

by IndianAuto Team | 30/06/2018

Knowing the maximum distance you can drive on an empty gas tank will save you from getting stranded on the road, especially on the highway.

Occasionally, the drivers let their gas tank get low enough to activate the low fuel warning light. Although most drivers are aware of the fact that it's best to keep their gas tank ¼ full, they still often run on the low gas tank from time to time. Therefore, it’s worth knowing how many or how few miles you can actually drive after the light comes on.

Driving on an empty gas tank

1. Effects of driving with the low fuel warning light illuminated

A high possibility of running out of gas and getting stuck on the road is the primary concern when driving on empty. It is considered not only as a hassle but also as a potentially dangerous situation because breaking down on the freeway, where the surrounding cars are travelling upwards of 70 MPH leads in an unexpected consequence.

Driving with the low fuel warning light illuminated is dangerous?

Not only can damage your vehicle, driving on empty can also damage the drivers or passengers. Running out of gas repeatedly can be extremely harmful to your catalytic converter, which might need to be replaced or repaired afterwards as a result.

2. Distance to empty gauge

Most modern vehicles have a distance to empty gauge on their instrument cluster, which provides an approximate number of miles that a car can go before it runs out of gas. Many people prefer to use this feature in lieu of the low fuel warning light. if the gauge shows there are 5 km left, the drivers assume they will have exactly 5 km before the fuel warning light turns on.

Many people prefer to use this feature in lieu of the low fuel warning light

However, this is relatively dangerous, as the distance to empty gauge only offers a rough approximation. This approximation is based on the average mileage that you have attained while driving on your car, which means that it may not be very accurately relative to your current driving conditions.

For instance, if you often drive your car on the highway, your distance to the empty meter is measured differently when you’re stuck in traffic. Therefore, while the gauge provides a fairly accurate approximation when your tank is relatively full, it shouldn’t be used to figure out your exact number of miles remaining in the tank when you’re running on empty.

3. Distance approximation range from brands

Actually, apart from your vehicle’s competence, how far you can drive on empty also depends on your driving habits and road conditions. However, you may be surprised to see how few miles you actually can drive once the low fuel warning light comes on.

Here is the range estimating how many miles you can drive as well as the point at which the warning light illuminates for the top best-selling cars.

It is important for drivers to measure the distance you have left. Figuring this out beforehand is a good way to prepare when the tank gets really low, and to avoid an unexpected breakdown. If you are reaching empty quickly or have leaking fuel, you should have an inspection performed as soon as possible.

How long your car can travel when the warning light is illuminated?

4. Five short fuel preserving tips

If you regularly find yourself running low on petrol, these are a few guides from IndianAuto that you can do to eke out what little fuel remains in the tank:

Turn off all electronic accessories and unplug any charging phones.
Roll up your windows to reduce wind resistance.
Drive at around 40 mph which is considered the most fuel-efficient speed.
Drive with a light foot and maintain a constant speed.
Check your tyre pressure because the under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption.