Mazda MX-5
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,655a year, fuel only
The 2026 Mazda MX-5 is EPA-rated at 29 MPG combined (26 city / 34.5 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 517 gallons, $1655 a year in fuel, or $0.110 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2006–2026 run it averages 26.6 MPG, improving by 5.3 MPG over 21 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 29 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the two seaters average, 21.3.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,655 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.110
- Per kilometre
- $0.069
- Gallons burned/yr
- 517
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 | $0.086 | $862 | $1293 | $1724 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.103 | $1034 | $1552 | $2069 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.110 | $1103 | $1655 | $2207 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.121 | $1207 | $1810 | $2414 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.138 | $1379 | $2069 | $2759 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.155 | $1552 | $2328 | $3103 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.172 | $1724 | $2586 | $3448 |
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
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2650 | 303 | 2 |
| 2025 | 29 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2650 | 303 | 2 |
| 2024 | 29 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2650 | 303 | 2 |
| 2023 | 29.5 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2600 | 302 | 2 |
| 2022 | 29.5 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2600 | 302 | 2 |
| 2021 | 29.5 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2600 | 302 | 2 |
| 2020 | 29.5 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2600 | 302 | 2 |
| 2019 | 29.5 MPG | 26 | 34.5 | $2600 | 302 | 2 |
| 2018 | 29 MPG | 26 | 34 | $2650 | 304 | 2 |
| 2017 | 29 MPG | 26 | 34 | $2650 | 303 | 2 |
| 2016 | 30 MPG | 26.5 | 35 | $2550 | 301 | 2 |
| 2015 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 27 | $3250 | 369 | 3 |
| 2014 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 27 | $3250 | 369 | 3 |
| 2013 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 27 | $3250 | 369 | 3 |
| 2012 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 27 | $3250 | 376 | 3 |
| 2011 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 27 | $3250 | 376 | 3 |
| 2010 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 28 | $3250 | 376 | 3 |
| 2009 | 23.7 MPG | 21.3 | 28 | $3250 | 376 | 3 |
| 2008 | 23.7 MPG | 21 | 27.3 | $3250 | 376 | 3 |
| 2007 | 23.7 MPG | 21 | 27.7 | $3250 | 376 | 3 |
| 2006 | 23.7 MPG | 21 | 27.7 | $3250 | 376 | 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 two seaters bay
Among the 105 two seaters models tracked here, the Mazda MX-5 ranks 8 on current figures, against a class average of 21.3 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Honda CR-Z (34.5), smart fortwo cabriolet (34.5), smart fortwo coupe (34.5), Honda Civic CRX HF (41), Honda Insight (52).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 303 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 4.5 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mazda MX-5 get?
The 2026 Mazda MX-5 is rated at 29 MPG combined by the EPA — 26 city and 34.5 highway. Across all 21 model years in the database it averages 26.6 MPG, ranging from 23 to 30 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mazda MX-5 cost in fuel per year?
At 29 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 517 gallons — roughly $1655 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.110 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2026 model is $2650.
Has the Mazda MX-5 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 23.7 MPG in 2006 to 29 in 2026 — an improvement of 5.3 MPG, or 22% across 21 model years.
Is the Mazda MX-5 efficient for its class?
It ranks 8 of 105 in the Two Seaters class on current figures, against a class average of 21.3 MPG. That is 7.7 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.
