In order to judge fuel economy, one should first determine the miles-per-gallon achieved by the car. This is done by dividing the number of miles driven by the number of gallons used. Then, in an effort to determine whether the car is performing as it should, one can compare the MPG results against the EPA ratings. If the results are significantly different, this could mean that something is wrong, whether it is with the car, the driving technique, etc.
Using a miles-per-tank factor is not a good way to determine efficiency, since the amount of fuel actually used is uncertain due to the uncertainty of how close to absolute empty the tank actually is and thus how many gallons were actually burned.
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