Old and new mpg ratings can be compared on Web

A new feature on the federal government’s gas mileage website is letting consumers know what revised ratings for 2008 models will do to those fuel economy numbers that almost no one gets after they start driving their new vehicles.

As expected when the new test was unveiled last year, today’s most fuel-efficient vehicles will lose the most. Toyota’s Prius hybrid, now rated at 60 miles per gallon in city driving, will drop 20% to 48 mpg.

Most conventional gasoline-powered vehicles will see mileage drop 5% to 10%.

The website is at www.fueleconomy.gov. Click on “Compare Old and New MPG Ratings.”

-- John O’Dell