Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD
What it costs to keep fuelled
$3,200a year, fuel only
The 2008 Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD is EPA-rated at 15 MPG combined (13 city / 17 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 1000 gallons, $3200 a year in fuel, or $0.213 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2003–2008 run it averages 14.3 MPG, improving by 1 MPG over 6 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 15 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the vans, cargo type average, 14.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $3,200 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.213
- Per kilometre
- $0.133
- Gallons burned/yr
- 1000
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 | $0.167 | $1667 | $2500 | $3333 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.200 | $2000 | $3000 | $4000 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.213 | $2133 | $3200 | $4267 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.233 | $2333 | $3500 | $4667 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.267 | $2667 | $4000 | $5333 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.300 | $3000 | $4500 | $6000 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.333 | $3333 | $5000 | $6667 |
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
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 15 MPG | 13 | 17 | $4150 | 592 | 2 |
| 2007 | 14.5 MPG | 13 | 17 | $4300 | 614 | 2 |
| 2006 | 14 MPG | 13 | 17 | $4450 | 635 | 1 |
| 2005 | 14 MPG | 13 | 17 | $4450 | 635 | 1 |
| 2004 | 14 MPG | 13 | 17 | $4450 | 635 | 1 |
| 2003 | 14 MPG | 12 | 16 | $4450 | 635 | 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 vans, cargo type bay
Among the 17 vans, cargo type models tracked here, the Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD ranks 5 on current figures, against a class average of 14.2 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Chevrolet Express 1500 2WD Cargo (15.5), GMC Savana 1500 2WD (cargo) (15.5), Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 2WD (15.7), GMC Savana 1500/2500 2WD (cargo) (15.7).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 592 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 8.9 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD get?
The 2008 Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD is rated at 15 MPG combined by the EPA — 13 city and 17 highway. Across all 6 model years in the database it averages 14.3 MPG, ranging from 14 to 15 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD cost in fuel per year?
At 15 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 1000 gallons — roughly $3200 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.213 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2008 model is $4150.
Has the Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 14 MPG in 2003 to 15 in 2008 — an improvement of 1 MPG, or 7% across 6 model years.
Is the Chevrolet Van 1500/2500 AWD efficient for its class?
It ranks 5 of 17 in the Vans, Cargo Type class on current figures, against a class average of 14.2 MPG. That is 0.8 better 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.
