How far can you drive when the fuel light comes on?
When that little gas light comes on, do you feel the stress of possibly running out of gas? Do you have the questions linger in the back of your head whether you can make it all the way home or not?
Surely you can get another 5 miles out of it...or 10. But what about 25 or even 50?
Look, you know you're car better than anyone else; the more you drive it, the more you learn how far you can push it. But just in case you ever get that 'will I make it feeling' when you're behind the wheel, a website has crunched the numbers and calculated just how far various cars can go once the fuel light has gone on.
Disclaimer: these number are not 100 percent accurate in any way and the reality is you should always be careful not to push it too far. Running out of gas on the highway is not only annoying, but can also be dangerous to yourselves and others around you.
Driving on empty is also potentially damaging to your vehicle. According to YourMechanic.com, if you do run out of gas, you could do damage to the catalytic converter. Driving with a low amount of fuel can damage your fuel pump because the debris in gas that naturally settles at the bottom of your tank is sent through your fuel pump according to YourMechanic.com.
So the light's come on, what do you? Sure, you could push it like Kramer in Seinfeld:
Or, if you have a modern car, you may have a distance to empty gauge on your dash. Helpful, but not 100% accurate. That's because, according to YYourMechanic.com, that's only a rough estimation based on the average mileage you've attained while driving your car. In other words, it may not be accurate relative to your current driving conditions.
Exactly how far you can drive on empty depends on your car, driving habits, and conditions. YourMechanic.com crunched the numbers on the top 50 best-selling cars in the United States. They tell you how much is remaining in the tank when the light comes on PLUS how far that fuel is expected to get you.
Some cars, like the Chrysler 200 offer as much as 108 miles after the light comes on until you're actually out of gas. Check out their entire list of the top 50 cars below.
NOTE: *N/A indicates that the fuel light comes on based off of the estimated miles remaining.
Click here for more from YourMechanic.com.