Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,775a year, fuel only
The 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 is EPA-rated at 17.3 MPG combined (14.7 city / 22 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 867 gallons, $2775 a year in fuel, or $0.185 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1990–1998 run it averages 17.1 MPG, improving by 1 MPG over 9 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 17.3 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the minicompact cars average, 22.5.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,775 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.185
- Per kilometre
- $0.115
- Gallons burned/yr
- 867
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 | $0.145 | $1445 | $2168 | $2890 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.173 | $1734 | $2601 | $3468 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.185 | $1850 | $2775 | $3699 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.202 | $2023 | $3035 | $4046 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.231 | $2312 | $3468 | $4624 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.260 | $2601 | $3902 | $5202 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.289 | $2890 | $4335 | $5780 |
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
9 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 | 17.3 MPG | 14.7 | 22 | $4467 | 513 | 3 |
| 1997 | 17.7 MPG | 15 | 22 | $4383 | 503 | 3 |
| 1996 | 17.7 MPG | 15 | 22 | $4383 | 503 | 3 |
| 1995 | 17.7 MPG | 15 | 22.3 | $4383 | 503 | 3 |
| 1994 | 17 MPG | 14.7 | 22 | $3667 | 524 | 6 |
| 1993 | 17 MPG | 14.7 | 22 | $4550 | 524 | 6 |
| 1992 | 17 MPG | 14.7 | 22 | $4550 | 524 | 6 |
| 1991 | 16.3 MPG | 14.3 | 21.3 | $4717 | 545 | 3 |
| 1990 | 16.3 MPG | 14.3 | 21 | $4717 | 545 | 3 |
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 minicompact cars bay
Among the 68 minicompact cars models tracked here, the Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 ranks 58 on current figures, against a class average of 22.5 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Jaguar XK Convertible (17.5), Jaguar XKR Convertible (18), Lexus LC 500 Convertible (18), Porsche 911 Turbo S (18), Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet (18).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 513 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 7.7 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 get?
The 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 is rated at 17.3 MPG combined by the EPA — 14.7 city and 22 highway. Across all 9 model years in the database it averages 17.1 MPG, ranging from 16 to 18 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 cost in fuel per year?
At 17.3 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 867 gallons — roughly $2775 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.185 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 1998 model is $4467.
Has the Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 16.3 MPG in 1990 to 17.3 in 1998 — an improvement of 1 MPG, or 6% across 9 model years.
Is the Porsche 911 Carrera 4/2 efficient for its class?
It ranks 58 of 68 in the Minicompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 22.5 MPG. That is 5.2 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.
