Mercedes-Benz E320
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,400a year, fuel only
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 is EPA-rated at 20 MPG combined (18 city / 26 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 750 gallons, $2400 a year in fuel, or $0.160 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1996–2005 run it averages 20.3 MPG, improving by 1 MPG over 8 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 20 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the midsize cars average, 27.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,400 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.160
- Per kilometre
- $0.099
- Gallons burned/yr
- 750
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 | $0.125 | $1250 | $1875 | $2500 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.150 | $1500 | $2250 | $3000 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.160 | $1600 | $2400 | $3200 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.175 | $1750 | $2625 | $3500 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.200 | $2000 | $3000 | $4000 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.225 | $2250 | $3375 | $4500 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.250 | $2500 | $3750 | $5000 |
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
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 20 MPG | 18 | 26 | $3850 | 444 | 1 |
| 2004 | 20 MPG | 17 | 24 | $3850 | 444 | 1 |
| 2003 | 20 MPG | 17 | 24 | $3850 | 444 | 1 |
| 2002 | 21 MPG | 18 | 26 | $3650 | 423 | 1 |
| 2001 | 21 MPG | 18 | 26 | $3650 | 423 | 1 |
| 2000 | 21 MPG | 18 | 27 | $3650 | 423 | 1 |
| 1997 | 20 MPG | 18 | 25 | $3850 | 444 | 1 |
| 1996 | 19 MPG | 17 | 24 | $4050 | 468 | 1 |
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 midsize cars bay
Among the 261 midsize cars models tracked here, the Mercedes-Benz E320 ranks 188 on current figures, against a class average of 27.2 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Volvo 850 (20.3), Acura TL 4WD (20.5), Daewoo Leganza (20.5), Lexus GS 300/GS 430 (20.5), Acura TL (20.7).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 444 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 6.7 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mercedes-Benz E320 get?
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 is rated at 20 MPG combined by the EPA — 18 city and 26 highway. Across all 8 model years in the database it averages 20.3 MPG, ranging from 19 to 21 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mercedes-Benz E320 cost in fuel per year?
At 20 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 750 gallons — roughly $2400 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.160 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2005 model is $3850.
Has the Mercedes-Benz E320 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 19 MPG in 1996 to 20 in 2005 — an improvement of 1 MPG, or 5% across 8 model years.
Is the Mercedes-Benz E320 efficient for its class?
It ranks 188 of 261 in the Midsize Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 27.2 MPG. That is 7.2 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.
