I've driven long after the low fuel warning came on, when the miles to empty reaches 0 it changes to refuel, I drove another 25-30 miles, still only took 12.1 gallons to refill the 14.8 gallon tank of the hybrid, so there's about 2-3 gallons reserve, others have reported the same.

 

I usually refuel at 1\4 tank regardless of what might be left just in case.

 

Hate to sound rude, thank you for your input. But post like yours are completely irrelevant. Maybe you're the type that likes to hear himself talk. The question that was asked went way over your head. And gave no insight or help on the members question. Anywho, good job on being safe and filling up every 1/4 tank. Which is pretty silly. Waste of time and you're at the gas stations more often than you should be. Cheers.

 

I normally refuel between ¼ and ½ tank too, I think most drivers do, although my wife gets antsy when it hits ½!:shrug:

 

What I said. :wink

 

Its as good a guide as any, but don't forget there's also a very handy little fuel gauge on the dash that actually works! When that hits the bottom line you'd best be looking for a station.

To answer your question more directly, that "range" is based on your PAST average MPG. Its not magic, it can't predict what your future MPG will be.

 

My fuel gauge seems to be extremely conservative. I've had the computer report ~ 20 miles before empty and never was able to put more than 11.2 gallons in it.

 

It has been recommended to me to never use the last couple of gallons in the tank. That eventually there is sediment that can shorten the life of the engine over time. Does this make any sense?

 

Not to me it doesn't, any sediment is always going to settle to the bottom of the tank where the fuel pick-up is located all the time whether the tank is full or otherwise. What does make sense is the fuel pump is cooled by the fuel, when the tank is extremely low it could lead to premature pump failure if repeatedly run low.

 

2018 LE FWD here, after I hit zero range, light comes on.

I keep driving though and after 30 miles @26MPG it took 13 gallons to fill up. So basically there is 4 gallons or 25% of the tank as reserve AFTER the light comes on with zero range.

 

I drove more than 60 miles after the indicator hit "E" one time in the summer.

 

New tank fix redefines what historically is in the reserve so mileage after light will also change.

 

New tank fix?

 

I have found after filling up when it says to refuel that I have at least 2 gallons of fuel remaining. So, when I really don't want to stop I am quite comfortable making a mental note of the odometer reading when it flashes REFUEL on the display knowing I can comfortably get to a fuel station that is convenient.

 

 

Haven't ever "run 'til empty", but like others I know there's at least two gallons in the tank when the gauge says "E". I have gone more than 30 miles after that point.

 

I have been doing some long road trips with my RAV4P so I think I have figured out how to manage the the fuel guage and Distance to Empty to know when to fill up. The low fuel guage comes on at 25 miles to empty. When it reaches 0 miles to empty there is still enough gas to drive at least another 100 miles based on 35 mpg. On my last road trip I drove 50 miles past the 0 miles DTE indication. When I filled up I put in 12. 9 gallons. So if the tank holds 14.5 gallons I still had 1.6 gallons in the tank.

 

It does not account for reserves- but do not ever run past “empty”. Your fuel pump uses the reserves for cooling. It can cause significant damage if you try to run it dry. Correct me if I’m wrong.

 

I found this which sounds right to me. He say returning warm fuel would cause evaporation which would put a load on the evap canister or cause emissions so they don't do it any more.

For a number of years fuel injected vehicles utilized a fuel delivery system consisting of a pump and filter that delivered fuel to the fuel rail and injectors at the engine. At the end of a fuel rail was a pressure regulator. Excess fuel was routed back to the tank via a return line.

Let's clarify your situation of “car on, not moving”. When sitting at a red light, the engine is running. (I'm disposing of the “car on” term because it is confusing the issue. ) A running engine uses fuel even if the car is not moving. Considerably more fuel is used driving up a hill at high speed. The fuel system must be able to maintain proper fuel delivery under all conditions.

Now back to the subject of your question, fuel temperature. Vehicles (at least those in the U.S. ) built in the last 15 years no longer use a fuel return line. And the reason is to eliminate fuel picking up engine heat and then being returned to the tank. This warm fuel has the effect of increasing vapor production, and effecting evaporative emissions.

Returnless fuel systems are now in use to reduce the load on the evaporative emissions system. Variable speed fuel pumps combined with an in-tank fuel pressure regulator are now standard fare.