Average gas mileage across 14,737 ratings is 22.0 mpg. But the trend is not a straight line: cars got thirstier from 1984 to the mid-2000s — 21.5 mpg down to 19.1 — as buyers moved into trucks and SUVs, and only then did it climb to today's 34.3.
Forty years of gas mileage
Most people assume cars have been getting steadily more efficient. They haven't. Mileage fell for two decades as the market moved into trucks and SUVs, bottomed out around 2005, and only then began to climb.
| Model year | Combined mpg | City / Highway | Fuel per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 18.7 / 24.8 | $1,829 | |
| 1986 | 19 / 25.2 | $1,803 | |
| 1988 | 18.3 / 24.5 | $1,855 | |
| 1990 | 18 / 24.1 | $1,901 | |
| 1992 | 17.9 / 24.2 | $1,892 | |
| 1994 | 17.6 / 23.9 | $1,930 | |
| 1996 | 17.8 / 24.5 | $1,901 | |
| 1998 | 17.4 / 24.1 | $1,920 | |
| 2000 | 17.4 / 24.1 | $1,930 | |
| 2002 | 17.2 / 23.7 | $1,949 | |
| 2004 | 17.2 / 23.7 | $1,959 | |
| 2006 | 17.1 / 23.7 | $1,969 | |
| 2008 | 17.4 / 24.1 | $1,930 | |
| 2010 | 18.5 / 25.3 | $1,829 | |
| 2012 | 19.8 / 26.6 | $1,722 | |
| 2014 | 21.2 / 28.2 | $1,613 | |
| 2016 | 21.6 / 28.8 | $1,580 | |
| 2018 | 22.2 / 29 | $1,555 | |
| 2020 | 22.3 / 28.7 | $1,555 | |
| 2021 | 22.3 / 28.4 | $1,561 | |
| 2022 | 22.4 / 28.5 | $1,561 | |
| 2023 | 22.1 / 28.1 | $1,574 | |
| 2024 | 22.3 / 28.2 | $1,567 | |
| 2025 | 22.8 / 28.4 | $1,542 | |
| 2026 | 22.9 / 28.4 | $1,536 |
The dip is not a measurement artefact — the EPA test changed in 2008, but the decline predates it. What changed was what Americans bought.
What that actually costs
Engine classes, from the most frugal down — with the yearly fuel bill each one implies.
| Engine class | Combined mpg | City / Highway | Fuel per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plug-in hybrid | 35.9 / 35.5 | $1,079 | |
| 3-cyl | 29.8 / 36 | $1,189 | |
| Hybrid | 28.6 / 31.8 | $1,289 | |
| 4-cyl | 22.9 / 30.1 | $1,494 | |
| 5-cyl | 19.1 / 26.5 | $1,761 | |
| V6 | 17.3 / 24.2 | $1,930 | |
| V8 | 13.9 / 20 | $2,385 |
Gas mileage by brand
Gas and diesel only, averaged across everything a brand has offered since 1984 — so a long history of trucks drags the figure down. Read it as a line-up profile, not as engineering skill. Electric marques are ranked further down, in the unit that actually applies to them.
| Brand | Combined mpg | City / Highway | Fuel per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart | 33.4 / 39.1 | $1,073 | |
| Daihatsu | 28.5 / 33.1 | $1,276 | |
| Renault | 26.6 / 34.3 | $1,297 | |
| Mini | 26.4 / 34.3 | $1,302 | |
| Fiat | 25.9 / 33.3 | $1,329 | |
| Honda | 26.4 / 32.4 | $1,338 | |
| Scion | 25.5 / 31.7 | $1,376 | |
| Hyundai | 24.8 / 31.6 | $1,401 | |
| Kia | 24.9 / 31 | $1,407 | |
| Polestar | 22 / 31 | $1,477 | |
| Volkswagen | 23 / 30.8 | $1,483 | |
| Toyota | 24.1 / 28.6 | $1,488 | |
| Suzuki | 23 / 28.5 | $1,524 | |
| Subaru | 22.4 / 29 | $1,536 | |
| Saturn | 21 / 29.7 | $1,580 | |
| Mazda | 21.2 / 27.4 | $1,634 | |
| Lexus | 21.4 / 26.7 | $1,641 | |
| Daewoo | 20.2 / 28.9 | $1,641 | |
| Volvo | 20.6 / 28.1 | $1,641 | |
| Mitsubishi | 20.9 / 26.9 | $1,655 | |
| Nissan | 20.6 / 26.8 | $1,670 | |
| Pontiac | 19.8 / 28.1 | $1,684 | |
| Alfa Romeo | 20 / 27.2 | $1,692 | |
| Acura | 19.9 / 26.6 | $1,714 | |
| Buick | 18.8 / 27 | $1,761 | |
| BMW | 18.9 / 26.3 | $1,778 | |
| Audi | 18.8 / 26.4 | $1,786 | |
| Ford | 19.3 / 25.1 | $1,794 | |
| Genesis | 18.4 / 25.7 | $1,811 | |
| Chevrolet | 18.6 / 25.6 | $1,811 | |
| RAM | 18.4 / 25.3 | $1,820 | |
| Chrysler | 18.1 / 25.6 | $1,846 | |
| Peugeot | 18.6 / 23.6 | $1,846 | |
| Lincoln | 18.2 / 24.7 | $1,864 | |
| Saab | 17.6 / 25.6 | $1,873 | |
| Infiniti | 18.1 / 24.6 | $1,873 | |
| Mercedes-Benz | 18 / 24.6 | $1,882 | |
| Lotus | 17.5 / 25.1 | $1,892 | |
| Porsche | 17.8 / 24.2 | $1,901 | |
| Fisker | 20 / 21 | $1,920 | |
| Dodge | 17.4 / 24.3 | $1,930 | |
| Jaguar | 17.1 / 24.3 | $1,939 | |
| Cadillac | 16.9 / 24.3 | $1,969 | |
| Jeep | 17.2 / 22.1 | $2,010 | |
| Isuzu | 17.2 / 21.8 | $2,021 | |
| GMC | 16.4 / 21.8 | $2,076 | |
| Land Rover | 16.4 / 21.5 | $2,098 | |
| Maserati | 14.3 / 21.1 | $2,299 | |
| Aston Martin | 12.7 / 18.7 | $2,595 | |
| Bentley | 12.4 / 18.8 | $2,612 | |
| Ferrari | 12.3 / 17.3 | $2,723 | |
| Lamborghini | 11 / 16.5 | $2,954 | |
| Maybach | 10.3 / 16 | $3,122 | |
| Rolls-Royce | 10.5 / 15.9 | $3,122 |
Electric brands, measured differently
An electric car has no gas mileage at all. The EPA rates it in MPGe — how far it goes on 33.7 kWh, the energy stored in one gallon of gasoline. Put those numbers in the table above and every electric marque outranks every gas-powered one by a factor of four, which says nothing about efficiency and everything about mixing units. Below they are priced the way they are actually paid for: in kilowatt-hours at $0.17.
| Brand | MPGe | kWh / 100 mi | Charging per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid | 25.7 | $524 | |
| Lexus | 27.6 | $563 | |
| Scion | 27.9 | $569 | |
| Fiat | 29.5 | $602 | |
| Tesla | 29.5 | $602 | |
| Volkswagen | 30 | $612 | |
| Mitsubishi | 30.1 | $614 | |
| Hyundai | 30.4 | $620 | |
| Kia | 31 | $632 | |
| Nissan | 31.2 | $636 | |
| Subaru | 31.2 | $636 | |
| BMW | 31.6 | $645 | |
| Smart | 32.2 | $657 | |
| Mini | 32.2 | $657 | |
| Chevrolet | 32.9 | $671 | |
| Polestar | 33.6 | $685 | |
| Genesis | 33.9 | $692 | |
| Volvo | 34.6 | $706 | |
| Jeep | 35.7 | $728 | |
| Fisker | 36.6 | $747 | |
| Mazda | 36.6 | $747 | |
| Mercedes-Benz | 37 | $755 | |
| Acura | 37.2 | $759 | |
| Audi | 37.6 | $767 | |
| Cadillac | 37.7 | $769 | |
| Porsche | 38.1 | $777 | |
| Dodge | 38.3 | $781 | |
| Ford | 38.9 | $794 | |
| Honda | 39.6 | $808 | |
| Maserati | 41.1 | $838 | |
| Toyota | 41.7 | $851 | |
| Rivian | 41.9 | $855 | |
| Jaguar | 42.3 | $863 | |
| Rolls-Royce | 43 | $877 | |
| BYD | 49.6 | $1,012 | |
| GMC | 58.8 | $1,200 |
The cheapest gas-powered brand on this site still costs more per mile than the thirstiest electric one — but the gap narrows sharply where electricity is dear, and the figures above assume a flat national rate rather than your own tariff.
MPG is a number. Dollars per year is the answer.
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How we count
Gas mileage figures come from EPA fueleconomy.gov — the same laboratory numbers printed on the window sticker. We don't adjust them; real-world consumption depends on how and where you drive.
What we add is money. Yearly cost assumes 12,000 miles at $3.20 a gallon — change either and the ranking stays, only the size of the bill moves. Cost per mile is the same figure divided out, useful when comparing a commute against a weekend car.
Electric and hydrogen cars are kept out of every average on this site. Their EPA rating is MPGe — distance covered on 33.7 kWh, the energy in a gallon of gasoline — and the 562 such ratings in our data run from 35 to 146 against 21.6 for the gas-powered fleet. Added together they would not make a ranking, only a unit error. We price them at $0.17 a kilowatt-hour instead.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good mpg figure?
Today the average across all rated cars is 22.0 mpg combined, and new models average around 34. Anything above 30 is frugal for a gas car; hybrids sit in the 40s and 50s.
Have cars really been getting more efficient?
Not steadily. Average economy fell from 21.5 mpg in 1984 to about 19.1 by the mid-2000s as buyers moved into trucks and SUVs, then climbed to today's 34.3. The curve is a V, not a slope.
Does the EPA figure match real life?
Rarely exactly. EPA ratings are laboratory tests, standardised so cars can be compared with each other. Real consumption depends on how and where you drive, and is usually somewhat worse.
How much does fuel actually cost per year?
At 12,000 miles and $3.20 a gallon: about $1,920 for a 20 mpg truck, $1,280 for a 30 mpg sedan and $768 for a 50 mpg hybrid.
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