Mercedes-Benz SLR
What it costs to keep fuelled
$3,692a year, fuel only
The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR is EPA-rated at 13 MPG combined (12 city / 16 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 1154 gallons, $3692 a year in fuel, or $0.246 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2005–2009 run it averages 13 MPG, essentially flat across 5 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 13 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the two seaters average, 21.5.
- Fuel, per year
- $3,692 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.246
- Per kilometre
- $0.153
- Gallons burned/yr
- 1154
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 | $0.192 | $1923 | $2885 | $3846 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.231 | $2308 | $3462 | $4615 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.246 | $2462 | $3692 | $4923 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.269 | $2692 | $4038 | $5385 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.308 | $3077 | $4615 | $6154 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.346 | $3462 | $5192 | $6923 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.385 | $3846 | $5769 | $7692 |
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
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 13 MPG | 12 | 16 | $5950 | 684 | 1 |
| 2008 | 13 MPG | 12 | 16 | $5950 | 684 | 1 |
| 2007 | 13 MPG | 11 | 16 | $5950 | 684 | 1 |
| 2006 | 13 MPG | 11 | 16 | $5950 | 684 | 1 |
| 2005 | 13 MPG | 12 | 16 | $5950 | 684 | 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 two seaters bay
Among the 105 two seaters models tracked here, the Mercedes-Benz SLR ranks 95 on current figures, against a class average of 21.5 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Aero (14), Dodge Viper (14), Ford GT (14), Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG (14), Mercedes-Benz SL600 (14).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 684 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 10.3 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mercedes-Benz SLR get?
The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR is rated at 13 MPG combined by the EPA — 12 city and 16 highway. Across all 5 model years in the database it averages 13 MPG, ranging from 13 to 13 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mercedes-Benz SLR cost in fuel per year?
At 13 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 1154 gallons — roughly $3692 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.246 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2009 model is $5950.
Has the Mercedes-Benz SLR become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 13 MPG today against 13 in 2005 — essentially flat across 5 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Mercedes-Benz SLR efficient for its class?
It ranks 95 of 105 in the Two Seaters class on current figures, against a class average of 21.5 MPG. That is 8.5 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.
