Mazda RX-7
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,667a year, fuel only
The 1995 Mazda RX-7 is EPA-rated at 18 MPG combined (15 city / 22.5 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 833 gallons, $2667 a year in fuel, or $0.178 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1984–1995 run it averages 17.5 MPG, improving by 1 MPG over 12 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 18 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the two seaters average, 21.4.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,667 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.178
- Per kilometre
- $0.110
- Gallons burned/yr
- 833
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 | $0.139 | $1389 | $2083 | $2778 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.167 | $1667 | $2500 | $3333 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.178 | $1778 | $2667 | $3556 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.194 | $1944 | $2917 | $3889 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.222 | $2222 | $3333 | $4444 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.250 | $2500 | $3750 | $5000 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.278 | $2778 | $4167 | $5556 |
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
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 18 MPG | 15 | 22.5 | $4300 | 494 | 2 |
| 1994 | 18 MPG | 15.5 | 22.5 | $4300 | 494 | 2 |
| 1993 | 18 MPG | 15.5 | 22.5 | $4300 | 494 | 2 |
| 1992 | 17.5 MPG | 15 | 22.5 | $3550 | 508 | 2 |
| 1991 | 17.3 MPG | 15 | 22 | $3583 | 513 | 3 |
| 1990 | 17.3 MPG | 15 | 22 | $3583 | 513 | 3 |
| 1989 | 17.3 MPG | 15 | 22 | $3583 | 513 | 3 |
| 1988 | 17.3 MPG | 15 | 21.3 | $3583 | 513 | 3 |
| 1987 | 17.3 MPG | 15 | 21.3 | $3583 | 513 | 3 |
| 1986 | 18 MPG | 15 | 22 | $3450 | 494 | 2 |
| 1985 | 17 MPG | 15 | 20.8 | $3650 | 523 | 5 |
| 1984 | 17 MPG | 15 | 21 | $3650 | 523 | 6 |
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 RX-7 ranks 59 on current figures, against a class average of 21.4 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Nissan 300ZX (18.3), BMW Z4 sDrive35i (19), BMW Z4 sDrive35is (19), Lotus Esprit Turbo (19), Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG (19).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 494 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 7.4 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mazda RX-7 get?
The 1995 Mazda RX-7 is rated at 18 MPG combined by the EPA — 15 city and 22.5 highway. Across all 12 model years in the database it averages 17.5 MPG, ranging from 17 to 18 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mazda RX-7 cost in fuel per year?
At 18 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 833 gallons — roughly $2667 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.178 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 1995 model is $4300.
Has the Mazda RX-7 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 17 MPG in 1984 to 18 in 1995 — an improvement of 1 MPG, or 6% across 12 model years.
Is the Mazda RX-7 efficient for its class?
It ranks 59 of 105 in the Two Seaters class on current figures, against a class average of 21.4 MPG. That is 3.4 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.
