Toyota Prius smashes through a Guinness record for fuel efficiency

A latest-gen Prius driven by Wayne Gerdes has set a new miles-per-gallon record in a journey that spanned the entire USA from the western coast to the eastern.

The car averaged 2.53 liters of gas per 100 kilometers traveled, which corresponds to 93 miles per gallon. “Average” implies that it actually exceeded this value some of the time. This is impressive even compared to the manufacturer’s own rating of 4.13 liters per 100 km (57 MPG).

The data was collected throughout the entire drive from Los Angeles to New York City. The hybrid car clocked in nearly 5,200 kilometers (3,230 miles). Even considering the driver’s impressive fuel-maxing skills, the conditions were far from perfect with temperatures rising to 40 °C (104 °F) and surface elevations reaching 2,100 m (6,900 feet) above sea level. Both are considered major factors in worsening fuel economy.

Aside from achieving the best MPG rating of any hybrid car ever, the Prius set a world record for the most mileage on a full tank – nearly 1,700 km (1,056 miles). The OEM-rated hybrid mileage for this model is at 1,036 km (644 miles).

The Guinness Book of Records has already been amended with these records.