Illinois Drivers, How Far Can You Go After The Gas Light Comes On

Sure, Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" is a classic tune, but it's a really terrible way live your life, don't you think?

There are more than enough anxiety-causing things that pop up in our lives on a daily and/or weekly basis, so why add the fear of being stranded on the side of the road with an empty gas tank when that scenario is pretty easy to avoid by just keeping your gauge above "E."

But, hey, you're busy. It can happen, I get it. To avoid it happening, let's take a look at how far (on average) you can drive after your car's fuel gauge gas-pump icon lights up and chirps at you.

There's No Real Universal Answer To The Question Of How Far You Can Drive After The Gas Light Comes On Because Of The Many Different Types Of Vehicles Out There, But There Is A General Rule Of Thumb

According to a recent Reader's Digest piece, the size, make, and model of your vehicle plays a big factor in whether or not you'll have to go walking for gas if and when you run out:

There’s not a standard number of miles you can drive when the gas light comes on, says automotive electrician and road safety expert Robert Muñoz. “Typically, it will light up when the tank is below 10% to 15% of its capacity.” In general, after the gas light comes on, Muñoz says it’s safe to drive about 20 to 30 miles in a smaller vehicle or up to 50 miles in a larger vehicle.

Yes, the type of car you have makes a big difference. A car with a 10-gallon gas tank might have one gallon remaining when the light comes on. A Ram 1500 truck, however, will have around three to four gallons of gas left.

If Only There Was A Chart Or Something That You Could Look At That Would Tell You How Far Your Particular Vehicle Can Go Once The Gas Light Comes On...Oh, Wait

Over at RoadAndTrack.com, they've got piece on how many miles the top 50 selling cars can make it once they've hit empty on the fuel gauge:

The chart, put together by YourMechanic, lists the 50 best-selling cars in the United States. The chart might be for the 2015 model year, but most new and older cars will be similar. There's also a trend to pay attention to if your car isn't listed: when the fuel light comes on, nearly every single car has two to three gallons of fuel left. For certain cars, and depending on how you drive, you could have nearly 100 miles until you're literally running on fumes.