Someone Just Averaged 93 MPG Coast-to-Coast in a New Toyota Prius

The record-setting run probably didn't include any seven-second sprints to 60 mph.

Photo by: Toyota

Christopher Smith

By: Christopher Smith

Sep 12, 2024 at 2:00pm ET

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This Toyota Prius averaged 93.1 mpg over a cross-country, 3,211-mile journey.
The car is a stock, base-model LE with front-wheel drive.
Driver Wayne Gerdes set a new Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption driving across the United States.

When the current-generation Toyota Prius launched in 2023, it turned our heads for two reasons. The swoopy styling actually looked good, and a stab of the throttle resulted in surprisingly robust acceleration. It was nearly enough for us to forget it's also good on gas. Now, we're reminded of its efficiency in the form of a new sea-to-shining-sea record.

No, the Prius didn't just pull off a Cannonball speed run. But Wayne Gerdes did drive from Los Angeles to New York City while averaging an impressive 93.1 mpg. It's more than enough to officially earn a Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption while driving across the US. In fact, it shatters the previous record of 76.6 mpg set with a Kia Niro back in 2016.

Gerdes, a noted hypermilier, traveled 3,211.7 miles in his Prius, a base-model LE driving just the front wheels. It's the most frugal trim of the Prius lineup with official EPA mileage ratings of 57 city, 56 highway, and 57 combined. Gerdes exceeded those ratings using hypermiling techniques like very gentle acceleration and braking, though we suspect his efforts went far beyond that. He also mapped out a route aimed at efficient driving, though he still had to cross mountains and deal with city traffic.

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Using some basic math, we calculate Gerdes burned just 34.5 gallons of gasoline for the trip. The Prius has an 11.3-gallon fuel tank, which works out to 3.05 fuel stops along the way. Mind you, that's going purely by the numbers. We aren't told exactly how many stops he made, but if Gerdes managed to get a bit more fuel in the tank, this could be a two-stop trip. No matter how you feel about the Prius or fuel economy, that's seriously impressive.

Now, let's see someone take a Prius Prime from the Red Ball Garage in Manhattan to the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach. We suspect such an iconic journey might not be as efficient, but it would probably be way more exciting.