Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,365a year, fuel only
The 2001 Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am is EPA-rated at 20.3 MPG combined (16.8 city / 26 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 739 gallons, $2365 a year in fuel, or $0.158 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1988–2001 run it averages 18.8 MPG, improving by 2.3 MPG over 8 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 20.3 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the subcompact cars average, 24.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,365 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.158
- Per kilometre
- $0.098
- Gallons burned/yr
- 739
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 | $0.123 | $1232 | $1847 | $2463 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.148 | $1478 | $2217 | $2956 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.158 | $1576 | $2365 | $3153 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.172 | $1724 | $2586 | $3448 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.197 | $1970 | $2956 | $3941 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.222 | $2217 | $3325 | $4433 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.246 | $2463 | $3695 | $4926 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 20.3 MPG | 16.8 | 26 | $3450 | 440 | 4 |
| 2000 | 19.5 MPG | 16.3 | 25.5 | $3600 | 457 | 4 |
| 1999 | 19.8 MPG | 16.8 | 25.5 | $3550 | 451 | 4 |
| 1992 | 18.1 MPG | 15.1 | 23.9 | $3793 | 490 | 7 |
| 1991 | 18 MPG | 15.1 | 23.6 | $3829 | 494 | 7 |
| 1990 | 18 MPG | 15.1 | 23.4 | $3829 | 494 | 7 |
| 1989 | 18.4 MPG | 15.4 | 23.7 | $3743 | 483 | 7 |
| 1988 | 18 MPG | 15.3 | 23.6 | $3829 | 495 | 7 |
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/Trans Am ranks 157 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: BMW 325ci (20.5), BMW 328ci Convertible (20.5), BMW 330ci (20.5), Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3 (20.5), Nissan 200SX (20.5).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 440 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 6.6 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am get?
The 2001 Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am is rated at 20.3 MPG combined by the EPA — 16.8 city and 26 highway. Across all 8 model years in the database it averages 18.8 MPG, ranging from 17 to 21 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am cost in fuel per year?
At 20.3 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 739 gallons — roughly $2365 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.158 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2001 model is $3450.
Has the Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 18 MPG in 1988 to 20.3 in 2001 — an improvement of 2.3 MPG, or 13% across 8 model years.
Is the Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am efficient for its class?
It ranks 157 of 229 in the Subcompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG. That is 3.9 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.
