Lexus SC 300/SC 400
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,526a year, fuel only
The 1998 Lexus SC 300/SC 400 is EPA-rated at 19 MPG combined (17 city / 22.5 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 789 gallons, $2526 a year in fuel, or $0.168 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1992–1998 run it averages 18.2 MPG, improving by 1 MPG over 7 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 19 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the subcompact cars average, 24.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,526 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.168
- Per kilometre
- $0.105
- Gallons burned/yr
- 789
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 | $0.132 | $1316 | $1974 | $2632 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.158 | $1579 | $2368 | $3158 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.168 | $1684 | $2526 | $3368 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.184 | $1842 | $2763 | $3684 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.211 | $2105 | $3158 | $4211 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.237 | $2368 | $3553 | $4737 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.263 | $2632 | $3947 | $5263 |
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
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19 MPG | 17 | 22.5 | $4050 | 468 | 2 |
| 1997 | 18.3 MPG | 16.3 | 21.7 | $4217 | 485 | 3 |
| 1996 | 18.3 MPG | 16.3 | 22 | $4217 | 485 | 3 |
| 1995 | 18 MPG | 16 | 21.3 | $4300 | 494 | 3 |
| 1994 | 18 MPG | 16 | 21.7 | $4300 | 494 | 3 |
| 1993 | 18 MPG | 16 | 21.3 | $4300 | 494 | 3 |
| 1992 | 18 MPG | 16 | 20.3 | $4300 | 494 | 3 |
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 Lexus SC 300/SC 400 ranks 173 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 M4 Convertible (19.5), Infiniti G37 Convertible (19.5), Pontiac Firebird/Formula (19.5), Saab 900 Convertible (19.8), Audi RS 5 (20).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 468 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 7.0 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Lexus SC 300/SC 400 get?
The 1998 Lexus SC 300/SC 400 is rated at 19 MPG combined by the EPA — 17 city and 22.5 highway. Across all 7 model years in the database it averages 18.2 MPG, ranging from 18 to 19 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Lexus SC 300/SC 400 cost in fuel per year?
At 19 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 789 gallons — roughly $2526 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.168 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 1998 model is $4050.
Has the Lexus SC 300/SC 400 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 18 MPG in 1992 to 19 in 1998 — an improvement of 1 MPG, or 6% across 7 model years.
Is the Lexus SC 300/SC 400 efficient for its class?
It ranks 173 of 229 in the Subcompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG. That is 5.2 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.
