ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — Rising gas prices may have you questioning the fuel efficiency of your vehicle - so what do car dealers have to say about which vehicles have the best fuel economy?
Consumer Reports recently complied a listof the top 10 cars that cost the most to fill their gas tanks. When gas prices are high, Scott Lade, the owner of West Town Auto, says some may stray away from vehicles with four wheel drive such as trucks or SUVs.
"If you can get away from not using the four wheel drive and get something that’s going to get you better fuel economy, you’ll save money in the long run,” Lade said.
As the owner of a used car dealership, he says gas prices have made it difficult to get more cars to put out on the lot.
“My normal gas bill for cars on the lot would be $400 a month and now it’s $800," Lade said. "Then the amount of time I spend on the road buying cars it used to cost me $40 to $45 to fill up my car, well now it’s $60.”
In some instances, he says some of his customers even purchase second vehicles to mitigate the cost of gas.
“People that do have trucks like that or four wheel drives or things that don’t get real good fuel economy, they’re buying a second vehicle that will get good fuel economy and letting the one with the lesser fuel economy sit so they can save money that way,” Lade said.
While it may pay off to stray away from vehicles with less fuel efficiency, Lade says he doesn't recommend buyers choose their vehicle based on that factor alone. While high gas prices may be a temporary inconvenience, he says ultimately the decision should come down to the needs of the consumer such as the size of their family or their commute to work.
"If they’ve got three or four kids where they have to have room for kids, they might look at a van and they’ll consider something based on fuel economy but it still has to meet their needs,” Lade said.
