Toyota Prius v
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,171a year, fuel only
The 2017 Toyota Prius v is EPA-rated at 41 MPG combined (43 city / 39 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 366 gallons, $1171 a year in fuel, or $0.078 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2012–2017 run it averages 41 MPG, essentially flat across 6 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 41 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the midsize station wagons average, 20.8.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,171 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.078
- Per kilometre
- $0.048
- Gallons burned/yr
- 366
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 | $0.061 | $610 | $915 | $1220 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.073 | $732 | $1098 | $1463 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.078 | $780 | $1171 | $1561 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.085 | $854 | $1280 | $1707 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.098 | $976 | $1463 | $1951 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.110 | $1098 | $1646 | $2195 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.122 | $1220 | $1829 | $2439 |
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
6 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 | 41 MPG | 43 | 39 | $1500 | 217 | 1 |
| 2016 | 41 MPG | 43 | 39 | $1500 | 216 | 1 |
| 2015 | 41 MPG | 43 | 39 | $1500 | 217 | 1 |
| 2014 | 41 MPG | 43 | 39 | $1500 | 217 | 1 |
| 2013 | 41 MPG | 43 | 39 | $1500 | 216 | 1 |
| 2012 | 41 MPG | 43 | 39 | $1500 | 217 | 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 midsize station wagons bay
Among the 26 midsize station wagons models tracked here, the Toyota Prius v ranks 1 on current figures, against a class average of 20.8 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Nothing in its class is rated higher — it leads the group.
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 217 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 3.3 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Toyota Prius v get?
The 2017 Toyota Prius v is rated at 41 MPG combined by the EPA — 43 city and 39 highway. Across all 6 model years in the database it averages 41 MPG, ranging from 41 to 41 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Toyota Prius v cost in fuel per year?
At 41 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 366 gallons — roughly $1171 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.078 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2017 model is $1500.
Has the Toyota Prius v become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 41 MPG today against 41 in 2012 — essentially flat across 6 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Toyota Prius v efficient for its class?
It ranks 1 of 26 in the Midsize Station Wagons class on current figures, against a class average of 20.8 MPG. That is 20.2 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.
