Saab 9-3 SportCombi
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,133a year, fuel only
The 2012 Saab 9-3 SportCombi is EPA-rated at 22.5 MPG combined (19 city / 30 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 667 gallons, $2133 a year in fuel, or $0.142 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2006–2012 run it averages 21.4 MPG, improving by 1.5 MPG over 7 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 22.5 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the small station wagons average, 29.5.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,133 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.142
- Per kilometre
- $0.088
- Gallons burned/yr
- 667
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 | $0.111 | $1111 | $1667 | $2222 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.133 | $1333 | $2000 | $2667 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.142 | $1422 | $2133 | $2844 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.156 | $1556 | $2333 | $3111 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.178 | $1778 | $2667 | $3556 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.200 | $2000 | $3000 | $4000 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.222 | $2222 | $3333 | $4444 |
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
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 22.5 MPG | 19 | 30 | $2775 | 397 | 2 |
| 2011 | 22.5 MPG | 20 | 28 | $2775 | 397 | 2 |
| 2010 | 23 MPG | 20 | 29 | $2725 | 387 | 2 |
| 2009 | 20.5 MPG | 17.3 | 26.5 | $3075 | 438 | 4 |
| 2008 | 20 MPG | 17 | 25.8 | $3888 | 448 | 4 |
| 2007 | 20 MPG | 17 | 26.8 | $3475 | 447 | 4 |
| 2006 | 21 MPG | 17.5 | 27.3 | $3700 | 427 | 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 small station wagons bay
Among the 76 small station wagons models tracked here, the Saab 9-3 SportCombi ranks 52 on current figures, against a class average of 29.5 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Hyundai Elantra Wagon (23), Audi A4 Avant quattro (24), Scion xB (24), Subaru Legacy Wagon (24), Suzuki Aerio SX (24).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 397 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 6.0 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Saab 9-3 SportCombi get?
The 2012 Saab 9-3 SportCombi is rated at 22.5 MPG combined by the EPA — 19 city and 30 highway. Across all 7 model years in the database it averages 21.4 MPG, ranging from 18 to 24 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Saab 9-3 SportCombi cost in fuel per year?
At 22.5 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 667 gallons — roughly $2133 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.142 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2012 model is $2775.
Has the Saab 9-3 SportCombi become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 21 MPG in 2006 to 22.5 in 2012 — an improvement of 1.5 MPG, or 7% across 7 model years.
Is the Saab 9-3 SportCombi efficient for its class?
It ranks 52 of 76 in the Small Station Wagons class on current figures, against a class average of 29.5 MPG. That is 7.0 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.
