Mazda 2
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,391a year, fuel only
The 2021 Mazda 2 is EPA-rated at 34.5 MPG combined (31 city / 39.5 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 435 gallons, $1391 a year in fuel, or $0.093 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2011–2021 run it averages 32.9 MPG, improving by 4.5 MPG over 10 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 34.5 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the compact cars average, 26.6.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,391 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.093
- Per kilometre
- $0.058
- Gallons burned/yr
- 435
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 | $0.072 | $725 | $1087 | $1449 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.087 | $870 | $1304 | $1739 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.093 | $928 | $1391 | $1855 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.101 | $1014 | $1522 | $2029 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.116 | $1159 | $1739 | $2319 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.130 | $1304 | $1957 | $2609 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.145 | $1449 | $2174 | $2899 |
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
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34.5 MPG | 31 | 39.5 | $1825 | 259 | 2 |
| 2020 | 34.5 MPG | 31 | 39.5 | $1825 | 259 | 2 |
| 2019 | 34.5 MPG | 31 | 39.5 | $1825 | 259 | 2 |
| 2018 | 34.5 MPG | 31 | 39.5 | $1825 | 258 | 2 |
| 2017 | 34.5 MPG | 31 | 39.5 | $1825 | 256 | 2 |
| 2016 | 35 MPG | 32 | 40.5 | $1800 | 251 | 2 |
| 2014 | 30.5 MPG | 28.5 | 33.5 | $2050 | 291 | 2 |
| 2013 | 30.5 MPG | 28.5 | 33.5 | $2050 | 291 | 2 |
| 2012 | 30.5 MPG | 28.5 | 33.5 | $2050 | 291 | 2 |
| 2011 | 30 MPG | 28 | 33 | $2075 | 297 | 2 |
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 compact cars bay
Among the 227 compact cars models tracked here, the Mazda 2 ranks 20 on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Toyota Corolla Hatchback (35), BMW 328d (36), Hyundai Accent (36), Kia Rio (36), Mitsubishi Mirage G4 (37).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 259 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 3.9 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mazda 2 get?
The 2021 Mazda 2 is rated at 34.5 MPG combined by the EPA — 31 city and 39.5 highway. Across all 10 model years in the database it averages 32.9 MPG, ranging from 29 to 36 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mazda 2 cost in fuel per year?
At 34.5 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 435 gallons — roughly $1391 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.093 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2021 model is $1825.
Has the Mazda 2 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 30 MPG in 2011 to 34.5 in 2021 — an improvement of 4.5 MPG, or 15% across 10 model years.
Is the Mazda 2 efficient for its class?
It ranks 20 of 227 in the Compact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG. That is 7.9 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.
