If you are considering taking advantage of the government-funded cash for clunkers program that officially begins Monday, then it’s helpful to see how much you would save by trading in your clunker for a more fuel-efficient vehicle. The best savings from this program is through the voucher for the $3,500 or $4,500 depending on how many miles you increase in a new car, but additional savings come from how much more money you will have in your pocket annually from the fuel savings.
The chart below can help you see how much money you could save at the pump. To compare two vehicles, first look up their overall miles per gallon at fueleconomy.gov for your current car and the car you are interested in purchasing. Then locate the overall mpg figure for one vehicle on one axis of this chart and the mpg for the other vehicle on the other. (It doesn't matter which is which.) The box where the two intersect shows how much money you'd save per year, assuming you drive 12,000 miles and gasoline costs $2.50 a gallon for regular fuel.
| mpg | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 0 | $357 | $625 | $833 | $1,000 | $1,136 |
| 14 | $357 | 0 | $268 | $476 | $643 | $779 |
| 16 | $625 | $268 | 0 | $208 | $375 | $511 |
| 18 | $833 | $476 | $208 | 0 | $167 | $303 |
| 20 | $1,000 | $643 | $375 | $167 | 0 | $136 |
| 22 | $1,136 | $779 | $511 | $303 | $136 | 0 |
| 24 | $1,250 | $893 | $625 | $417 | $250 | $114 |
| 26 | $1,346 | $989 | $721 | $513 | $346 | $210 |
| 28 | $1,429 | $1,071 | $804 | $595 | $429 | $292 |
| 30 | $1,500 | $1,143 | $875 | $667 | $500 | $364 |
| 32 | $1,562 | $1,205 | $937 | $729 | $562 | $426 |
| 34 | $1,618 | $1,260 | $993 | $784 | $618 | $481 |
| mpg | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | $1,250 | $1,346 | $1,429 | $1,500 | $1,562 | $1,618 |
| 14 | $893 | $989 | $1,071 | $1,143 | $1,205 | $1,260 |
| 16 | $625 | $721 | $804 | $875 | $937 | $993 |
| 18 | $417 | $513 | $595 | $667 | $729 | $784 |
| 20 | $250 | $346 | $429 | $500 | $562 | $618 |
| 22 | $114 | $210 | $292 | $364 | $426 | $481 |
| 24 | 0 | $96 | $179 | $250 | $312 | $368 |
| 26 | $96 | 0 | $82 | $154 | $216 | $271 |
| 28 | $179 | $82 | 0 | $71 | $134 | $189 |
| 30 | $250 | $154 | $71 | 0 | $62 | $118 |
| 32 | $312 | $216 | $134 | $62 | 0 | $55 |
| 34 | $368 | $271 | $189 | $118 | $55 | 0 |
To see a complete list of Consumer Reports recommended models check out our ratings, available to online subscribers. For more information on the cash for clunkers program, see our guide.
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