New car and new here

[SDrunner]

Hi all, I just got a 2018 Prius, upgrading from my 2004 Saturn Ion (I was the original owner).

I was wondering about the "odometer vs trip" options in Fuelly. I've always calculated mileage by the trip odometer, and am inclined to continuing to do so. I don't think I'm missing anything special by not using the car's total odometer reading, but found it interesting that that was the default in Fuelly.

[RalphM]

If you use the odo it gives you the flexibility to use the trip for other things and you cant accidentally reset the odo I find the odo more convenient but it's what works best for you.

Welcome to the forum.

[JockoT]

Welcome. Odometer for me, for exactly the same reason. I have, on a couple of occasions, accidentally reset the Trip. That would be a disaster if I was depending upon it for my fuel consumption.

Ralph. That's great numbers for your little diesel there.

[RalphM]

I live in a rural area so don't sit in trafic much or do very high speeds, narrow roads and all that, also the Renault dci 1.5 is one of the most fuel efficient engines you can get,
cheapest vehicle I have ever had to run.

[Draigflag]

Trip odometer is better in my opinion, doesn't matter if you miss one or two, or if someone else refuels, you can go a day or a year between each fuel up, it won't matter.

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Trip odometer is better in my opinion, doesn't matter if you miss one or two, or if someone else refuels, you can go a day or a year between each fuel up, it won't matter.

Can you please explain why Trip gives an advantage under the circumstances you refer to? Someone else refuelling? Any time you refuel you need to record your mileage, Trip or Odometer, otherwise the whole record keeping falls flat.
I do my calculations in a spreadsheet. I record the Odometer reading, the spread sheet calculates the mileage since last time (Trip), and divides it by the gallons (calculated from the litres purchased. What else is there to do?

[Draigflag]

Because you can refuel and rest the trip meter whenever you like, so many errors and inaccurate data is on fuelly from people missing a digit, or misplacing a digit when using the odometer reading. If someone else who uses the car and refuels, but doesn't use fuelly, then you have to click "I missed a fuel up" next time. Trip odometer just gives you more freedom and is less restrictive.

[SDrunner]

I feel like I am more likely to forget to write down the beginning odometer setting than I am to clear out the trip odometer. That might be what Draigflag is getting at.

It is the same amount of remembering-- just slightly different things.

I'll play around with the two variations. Having done the math one way for fourteen years, it was a surprise that I wasn't doing it the standard/default way.

[trollbait]

That "I missed a fuel up" button also means you miss more than that fuel up as the current one is used to reset the tracking for the odometer.

Other reasons for using the odometer; older cars may not have a trip meter, and the android app only works with odometer.

[JockoT]

One advantage of Odometer is that when I enter the data into Fuelly (I am a Luddite who has to use a computer, not a new fangled phone), if it comes up with a daft result I can always check the odometer again. If I used Trip, then the numbers would be gone for ever.
It is really just horses for courses. Whatever suits you is the best way, irrespective of what the "Default" is.