Scion iQ
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,297a year, fuel only
The 2015 Scion iQ is EPA-rated at 37 MPG combined (36 city / 37 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 405 gallons, $1297 a year in fuel, or $0.086 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2011–2015 run it averages 36.8 MPG, improving by 1 MPG over 5 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 37 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the minicompact cars average, 22.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,297 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.086
- Per kilometre
- $0.054
- Gallons burned/yr
- 405
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 | $0.068 | $676 | $1014 | $1351 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.081 | $811 | $1216 | $1622 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.086 | $865 | $1297 | $1730 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.095 | $946 | $1419 | $1892 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.108 | $1081 | $1622 | $2162 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.122 | $1216 | $1824 | $2432 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.135 | $1351 | $2027 | $2703 |
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
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 37 MPG | 36 | 37 | $1700 | 238 | 1 |
| 2014 | 37 MPG | 36 | 37 | $1700 | 238 | 1 |
| 2013 | 37 MPG | 36 | 37 | $1700 | 238 | 1 |
| 2012 | 37 MPG | 36 | 37 | $1700 | 240 | 1 |
| 2011 | 36 MPG | 36 | 37 | $1750 | 247 | 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 minicompact cars bay
Among the 68 minicompact cars models tracked here, the Scion iQ ranks 2 on current figures, against a class average of 22.2 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Fiat 500e (116).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 238 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 3.6 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Scion iQ get?
The 2015 Scion iQ is rated at 37 MPG combined by the EPA — 36 city and 37 highway. Across all 5 model years in the database it averages 36.8 MPG, ranging from 36 to 37 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Scion iQ cost in fuel per year?
At 37 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 405 gallons — roughly $1297 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.086 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2015 model is $1700.
Has the Scion iQ become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 36 MPG in 2011 to 37 in 2015 — an improvement of 1 MPG, or 3% across 5 model years.
Is the Scion iQ efficient for its class?
It ranks 2 of 68 in the Minicompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 22.2 MPG. That is 14.8 better 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.
