Tag: Outback

Gasoline vs. Hybrid vs. Battery Electric (BEV) Fuel Statistics Comparison

written 06/10/23, updated 01/31/25

What

Fuelup comparisons among three vehicles owned by me for the duration of ownership: 2020 Subaru Outback XT Onyx Edition, 2022 Ford Maverick XL Hybrid, & 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E AWD Standard Range

Calculating: MPG/MPGe, Cost per Gallon of gasoline (or equivalent), and then by month to even the odds

Comparison Chart

2020 Outback (Gas)2022 Maverick (Hybrid)2023 Mach-E (BEV)
Time Owned29 months12 months23 months
Total Miles Driven18,503 mi8,051 mi15,0007 mi
Total Fuel Volume 941.0 gal203.3 gal154.8 gal-E*
(5,216.2 kWh)
Total Fuel Cost$3,243.92$774.93$1,229.31
MPG/MPGe19.7 MPG39.6 MPG97 MPGe
Cost per Gallon (or kWh)$3.45$3.81$0.24
Miles Driven per Month638 mi670 mi653 mi
Fuel Volume per Month32.4 gal16.9 gal6.7 gal-E
(226.8 kWh)
Fuel Cost per Month$111.86$64.58$53.54
Total Maintenance Cost$596.62$362.54$465.39
Fun Cost (Additions)$2623.03$2536.99$1032.88
*gal-E = gallons gasoline equivalent

Basic Vehicle Statistics

2020 Outback
(Gas)		2022 Maverick
(Hybrid)		2023 Mach-E
(BEV)
Engine2.4L F-4cyl Turbo CVT AWD2.5L I-4cyl FHEV
FWD		1-spd DD Electric
AWD
HP260 hp @ 5,600 rpm162 hp @ 5,600 rpm*266 hp
Torque277 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm155 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm428 lb-ft
Fuel Capacity18.5 gal13.8 gal70kWh
Fuel Economy
(city/hwy/comb)		23/30/2642/33/3799/86/93
Range (EPA)481 mi511 mi224 mi
Weight3,884 lb3,674 lb4,498 lb
Wheelbase108.1 in121.1 in117.5 in
Length191.3 in199.7 in185.6 in
Width
(with mirror)		82.0 in83.5 in74.1 in
Height66.4 in68.7 in64.0 in
Tow Rating3,500 lb2,000 lb–
*191hp total hybrid power delivery; DD = Direct Drive; Fun fact: 70 kWh = 2.1-gal gasoline

Analysis

Easy to see that the data favors electrified vehicles: cheaper, less fuel consumed, better MPGs

Cost per gallon of gas (or equivalent) goes increases the more electrified the vehicle. Keep in mind, overall cost is less

Maintenace costs decrease with increased electrification. However, both electrified vehicles were owned for less time than the gasoline car

My Vehicles – Comparative Fuel Statistics

Here is a chart detailing various fuel statistics for vehicles owned

It is to be noted that the cars were driven different from each other. Also to be noted is that some of this data (miles, gallons, total $, average mpg, & average $/gal) was taken directly off the data collection app (same app for all cars), which accounts for some of the slight calculation disparity, but the right-most 3 columns are my own calculations.

The 2012 Outback 2.5i was the longest standing car at a total of 112 months owned, but recordings only started in 2016. It was driven mostly in routine commuting traffic in a city-driving environment.

The 2020 Outback XT was driven during pandemic times, used premium gas, and never took an extended highway trip. Traffic was nonexistent during pandemic time. Despite premium gas usage, price of gas was still cheaper than today’s more current gas prices. Driving statistics should have been much worse than it looks because I also drove this car very aggressively.

The 2022 Ford Maverick XL is the only hybrid powertrain here. With that, it shows a savings of $471.35 over the 2012 Outback 2.5i whose power statistics best match out of the group, as well as the type of traffic driven through and daily route. Now, if the average price of gas per year were matched (to the current $3.99) while keeping the gas consumption/year the same, then the disparity is $1911.21. Wow. That’s almost $2,000 in savings! Both in amount of gas consumption (479 gal vs. 215 gal – 44% decrease in amount used) per year and in dollars. $2k in my pocket…for frivolous things I don’t need.