Bentley Continental T
What it costs to keep fuelled
$4,000a year, fuel only
The 2003 Bentley Continental T is EPA-rated at 12 MPG combined (10 city / 15 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 1250 gallons, $4000 a year in fuel, or $0.267 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1998–2003 run it averages 12 MPG, essentially flat across 5 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 12 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the subcompact cars average, 24.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $4,000 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.267
- Per kilometre
- $0.166
- Gallons burned/yr
- 1250
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
Test figure — not a road resultSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.208 | $2083 | $3125 | $4167 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.250 | $2500 | $3750 | $5000 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.267 | $2667 | $4000 | $5333 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.292 | $2917 | $4375 | $5833 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.333 | $3333 | $5000 | $6667 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.375 | $3750 | $5625 | $7500 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.417 | $4167 | $6250 | $8333 |
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
5 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 12 MPG | 10 | 15 | $6400 | 741 | 1 |
| 2001 | 12 MPG | 10 | 15 | $6400 | 741 | 1 |
| 2000 | 12 MPG | 10 | 15 | $6400 | 741 | 1 |
| 1999 | 12 MPG | 10 | 15 | $6400 | 741 | 1 |
| 1998 | 12 MPG | 10 | 15 | $6400 | 741 | 1 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the subcompact cars bay
Among the 229 subcompact cars models tracked here, the Bentley Continental T ranks 224 on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: BMW M6 (13), BMW 6 Series (13.7), Bentley Continental Supersports Convertible (14), Roush Performance Stage 3 Mustang (14.5), BMW 850ci (15).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 741 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 11.1 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Bentley Continental T get?
The 2003 Bentley Continental T is rated at 12 MPG combined by the EPA — 10 city and 15 highway. Across all 5 model years in the database it averages 12 MPG, ranging from 12 to 12 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Bentley Continental T cost in fuel per year?
At 12 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 1250 gallons — roughly $4000 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.267 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2003 model is $6400.
Has the Bentley Continental T become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 12 MPG today against 12 in 1998 — essentially flat across 5 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Bentley Continental T efficient for its class?
It ranks 224 of 229 in the Subcompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG. That is 12.2 worse than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
