FuelEconomy.gov

FuelEconomy.gov, a site created by the Environmental Protection Agency, allows you to look up the estimated miles per gallon for the new or used vehicle you own or plan to buy. In addition, you can get information on greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution ratings and safety. The automakers run their pre-production cars through testing to determine the fuel efficiency figures, and then the EPA re-tests about 10 percent for accuracy and makes adjustments for real-life city and highway driving conditions (the average vehicle these days gets a pathetic 20 miles per gallon, about the same as 1980). The site also has tips on fuel economy and specs for a new breed of electric hybrids. One, the Honda Insight, gets 57 mpg highway, meaning you could drive from Washington, D.C. to Chicago on single tank of gas.