Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,595a year, fuel only
The 2008 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD is EPA-rated at 18.5 MPG combined (16.5 city / 23.5 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 811 gallons, $2595 a year in fuel, or $0.173 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1991–2008 run it averages 19 MPG, essentially flat across 18 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 18.5 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the minivan - 2wd average, 21.5.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,595 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.173
- Per kilometre
- $0.107
- Gallons burned/yr
- 811
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 | $0.135 | $1351 | $2027 | $2703 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.162 | $1622 | $2432 | $3243 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.173 | $1730 | $2595 | $3459 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.189 | $1892 | $2838 | $3784 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.216 | $2162 | $3243 | $4324 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.243 | $2432 | $3649 | $4865 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.270 | $2703 | $4054 | $5405 |
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
18 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 | 18.5 MPG | 16.5 | 23.5 | $3375 | 481 | 4 |
| 2007 | 19.3 MPG | 16.7 | 23.7 | $3217 | 461 | 3 |
| 2006 | 19.3 MPG | 16.7 | 23.7 | $3217 | 461 | 3 |
| 2005 | 19.3 MPG | 16.5 | 23.5 | $3238 | 463 | 4 |
| 2004 | 19 MPG | 16.7 | 23.7 | $3283 | 469 | 3 |
| 2003 | 20 MPG | 17 | 24 | $3117 | 445 | 3 |
| 2002 | 18.6 MPG | 16.2 | 22.6 | $3350 | 479 | 5 |
| 2001 | 18.2 MPG | 16.4 | 22 | $3420 | 489 | 5 |
| 2000 | 18.8 MPG | 16 | 22.8 | $3317 | 473 | 6 |
| 1999 | 20.7 MPG | 19.1 | 24.1 | $3221 | 486 | 7 |
| 1998 | 18.7 MPG | 16.5 | 22.7 | $3342 | 477 | 6 |
| 1997 | 18.8 MPG | 16.4 | 22.4 | $3320 | 473 | 5 |
| 1996 | 18.8 MPG | 16.4 | 22.8 | $3320 | 473 | 5 |
| 1995 | 18.8 MPG | 16.8 | 22.5 | $3213 | 463 | 8 |
| 1994 | 18.3 MPG | 16.4 | 21.7 | $3264 | 472 | 7 |
| 1993 | 19 MPG | 16.8 | 23.4 | $3080 | 449 | 5 |
| 1992 | 19.2 MPG | 17 | 22.6 | $3250 | 464 | 5 |
| 1991 | 19 MPG | 17 | 21.8 | $3288 | 468 | 4 |
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 minivan - 2wd bay
Among the 20 minivan - 2wd models tracked here, the Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD ranks 16 on current figures, against a class average of 21.5 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Chevrolet Venture FWD (19), Chrysler Town and Country (20), Dodge Grand Caravan (20), Pontiac Montana FWD (20), Volkswagen Routan (20).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 481 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 7.2 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD get?
The 2008 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD is rated at 18.5 MPG combined by the EPA — 16.5 city and 23.5 highway. Across all 18 model years in the database it averages 19 MPG, ranging from 17 to 35 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD cost in fuel per year?
At 18.5 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 811 gallons — roughly $2595 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.173 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2008 model is $3375.
Has the Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 18.5 MPG today against 19 in 1991 — essentially flat across 18 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD efficient for its class?
It ranks 16 of 20 in the Minivan - 2WD class on current figures, against a class average of 21.5 MPG. That is 3.0 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.
