Pontiac Firebird/Formula
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,462a year, fuel only
The 1998 Pontiac Firebird/Formula is EPA-rated at 19.5 MPG combined (16.5 city / 25 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 769 gallons, $2462 a year in fuel, or $0.164 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1993–1998 run it averages 19.1 MPG, essentially flat across 6 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 19.5 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the subcompact cars average, 24.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,462 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.164
- Per kilometre
- $0.102
- Gallons burned/yr
- 769
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 | $0.128 | $1282 | $1923 | $2564 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.154 | $1538 | $2308 | $3077 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.164 | $1641 | $2462 | $3282 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.179 | $1795 | $2692 | $3590 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.205 | $2051 | $3077 | $4103 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.231 | $2308 | $3462 | $4615 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.256 | $2564 | $3846 | $5128 |
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
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 19.5 MPG | 16.5 | 25 | $3600 | 457 | 4 |
| 1997 | 19 MPG | 16 | 25.3 | $3700 | 469 | 4 |
| 1996 | 19 MPG | 16 | 25.3 | $3275 | 469 | 4 |
| 1995 | 18.9 MPG | 15.9 | 24.4 | $3786 | 473 | 7 |
| 1994 | 19 MPG | 16 | 24.8 | $3700 | 469 | 4 |
| 1993 | 19 MPG | 16 | 24.3 | $3700 | 469 | 4 |
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 Pontiac Firebird/Formula ranks 170 on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Saab 900 Convertible (19.8), Audi RS 5 (20), BMW 325i Convertible (20), BMW 325i/325is (20), BMW 650i Convertible (20).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 457 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 6.9 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Pontiac Firebird/Formula get?
The 1998 Pontiac Firebird/Formula is rated at 19.5 MPG combined by the EPA — 16.5 city and 25 highway. Across all 6 model years in the database it averages 19.1 MPG, ranging from 18 to 21 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Pontiac Firebird/Formula cost in fuel per year?
At 19.5 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 769 gallons — roughly $2462 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.164 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 1998 model is $3600.
Has the Pontiac Firebird/Formula become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 19.5 MPG today against 19 in 1993 — essentially flat across 6 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Pontiac Firebird/Formula efficient for its class?
It ranks 170 of 229 in the Subcompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG. That is 4.7 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.
