Mitsubishi i-MiEV
What it costs to keep fuelled
$429a year, fuel only
The 2017 Mitsubishi i-MiEV is EPA-rated at 112 MPGe combined (121 city / 102 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 134 gallons, $429 a year in fuel, or $0.029 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2012–2017 run it averages 112 MPGe, essentially flat across 5 model years.
The band is how far one gallon-equivalent of energy carries it: 112 of the 120 MPGe this scale runs to. The square tick is the subcompact cars average, 23.8.
- Fuel, per year
- $429 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.029
- Per kilometre
- $0.018
- Gallon-equivalents/yr
- 134
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
MPGe — not a fuel billSOURCE·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 | $0.022 | $223 | $335 | $446 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.027 | $268 | $402 | $536 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.029 | $286 | $429 | $571 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.031 | $313 | $469 | $625 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.036 | $357 | $536 | $714 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.040 | $402 | $603 | $804 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.045 | $446 | $670 | $893 |
This is an electric vehicle, so the EPA rates it in MPGe — the distance it travels on the energy equivalent of a gallon of petrol. The dollar figures above are a petrol-equivalent illustration only; charging at home is billed per kWh and is normally far cheaper. Treat the MPGe as an efficiency comparison, not a fuel bill.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 112 MPGe | 121 | 102 | $700 | — | 1 |
| 2016 | 112 MPGe | 126 | 99 | $700 | — | 1 |
| 2014 | 112 MPGe | 126 | 99 | $700 | — | 1 |
| 2013 | 112 MPGe | 126 | 99 | $700 | — | 1 |
| 2012 | 112 MPGe | 126 | 99 | $700 | — | 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 subcompact cars bay
Among the 229 subcompact cars models tracked here, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV ranks 1 on current figures, against a class average of 23.8 MPGe — the square tick on the gauge above.
Nothing in its class is rated higher — it leads the group.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mitsubishi i-MiEV get?
The 2017 Mitsubishi i-MiEV is rated at 112 MPGe combined by the EPA — 121 city and 102 highway. Across all 5 model years in the database it averages 112 MPGe, ranging from 112 to 112 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mitsubishi i-MiEV cost in fuel per year?
At 112 MPGe and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 134 gallons — roughly $429 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.029 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2017 model is $700.
Has the Mitsubishi i-MiEV become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 112 MPGe today against 112 in 2012 — essentially flat across 5 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Mitsubishi i-MiEV efficient for its class?
It ranks 1 of 229 in the Subcompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 23.8 MPGe. That is 88.2 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.
