I’m a mechanic

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A MECHANIC has revealed how far you can really drive on an empty tank, including a crucial detail that can help you work it out yourself.

The expert, from car maintenance company Your Mechanic, produced a chart that gives a rule of thumb for a number of popular car models.

The scale reveals how much fuel is left in the car at the point the fuel warning light turns on and how far that will get you.

Knowing how far your car can make it is crucial in getting to the nearest petrol station and avoiding being stuck on the side of the road.

Driving a tank all the way down to empty is not recommended and can actually damage your engine, but the warning light should give you enough time to get you somewhere you can fill up.

In fact, some models can travel over 100 miles on their fuel reserve, though most will only make it between 30 and 60.

The Nissan Altima came out on top of the data, with a maximum range of 114 miles from the three gallons of petrol remaining after the low fuel light comes on.

The Chrysler 200 came second with 108, while the Nissan Versa rounded out the top three with 104.

At the bottom end, the Chevrolet Silverado came last with a maximum of 25 miles, followed by Hyundai Elantra, Kia Optima and Kia Soul with 30 each.

If your car isn't on the list, though, you can work it out yourself if you know some crucial information.

All you have to do is find out the fuel level that triggers your warning light and then divide it by the miles per gallon fuel economy score that can be found in your owner's handbook.

While this will not provide an exact distance, as driving style and even weather can affect fuel economy, it will give a rough guide as to how long you can expect your motor to struggle along before it runs out.

It comes after another mechanic revealed a vital service tip that could save hybrid drivers thousands and prevent a driving disaster.

Meanwhile, a car expert explained how driving the latest Porsche convinced him that electric cars are not the future.