Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
What it costs to keep fuelled
$3,429a year, fuel only
The 2017 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is EPA-rated at 14 MPG combined (11 city / 19 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 1071 gallons, $3429 a year in fuel, or $0.229 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2008–2017 run it averages 14 MPG, essentially flat across 10 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 14 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the compact cars average, 26.7.
- Fuel, per year
- $3,429 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.229
- Per kilometre
- $0.142
- Gallons burned/yr
- 1071
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 | $0.179 | $1786 | $2679 | $3571 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.214 | $2143 | $3214 | $4286 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.229 | $2286 | $3429 | $4571 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.250 | $2500 | $3750 | $5000 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.286 | $2857 | $4286 | $5714 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.321 | $3214 | $4821 | $6429 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.357 | $3571 | $5357 | $7143 |
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
10 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 | 14 MPG | 11 | 19 | $5500 | 637 | 1 |
| 2016 | 14 MPG | 11 | 19 | $5500 | 637 | 1 |
| 2015 | 14 MPG | 11 | 19 | $5500 | 637 | 1 |
| 2014 | 14 MPG | 11 | 19 | $5500 | 637 | 1 |
| 2013 | 14 MPG | 11 | 19 | $5500 | 637 | 1 |
| 2012 | 14 MPG | 11 | 18 | $5500 | 635 | 1 |
| 2011 | 14 MPG | 11 | 18 | $5500 | 635 | 1 |
| 2010 | 14 MPG | 11 | 18 | $5500 | 635 | 1 |
| 2009 | 14 MPG | 11 | 18 | $5500 | 635 | 1 |
| 2008 | 14 MPG | 11 | 18 | $5500 | 635 | 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 compact cars bay
Among the 227 compact cars models tracked here, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe ranks 220 on current figures, against a class average of 26.7 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Mercedes-Benz 300SE (15), Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG (15), BMW 7 Series (15.5), Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG (16), BMW M6 Gran Coupe (16.5).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 637 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 9.6 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe get?
The 2017 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is rated at 14 MPG combined by the EPA — 11 city and 19 highway. Across all 10 model years in the database it averages 14 MPG, ranging from 14 to 14 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe cost in fuel per year?
At 14 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 1071 gallons — roughly $3429 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.229 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2017 model is $5500.
Has the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 14 MPG today against 14 in 2008 — essentially flat across 10 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe efficient for its class?
It ranks 220 of 227 in the Compact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 26.7 MPG. That is 12.7 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.
