Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD
What it costs to keep fuelled
$3,000a year, fuel only
The 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD is EPA-rated at 16 MPG combined (15.5 city / 17 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 938 gallons, $3000 a year in fuel, or $0.200 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1986–1991 run it averages 15.4 MPG, improving by 1.5 MPG over 6 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 16 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the vans average, 15.0.
- Fuel, per year
- $3,000 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.200
- Per kilometre
- $0.124
- Gallons burned/yr
- 938
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 | $0.156 | $1563 | $2344 | $3125 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.188 | $1875 | $2813 | $3750 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.200 | $2000 | $3000 | $4000 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.219 | $2188 | $3281 | $4375 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.250 | $2500 | $3750 | $5000 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.281 | $2813 | $4219 | $5625 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.313 | $3125 | $4688 | $6250 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16 MPG | 15.5 | 17 | $3900 | 558 | 2 |
| 1990 | 16 MPG | 15.5 | 17 | $3900 | 558 | 2 |
| 1989 | 16 MPG | 15.5 | 17 | $3900 | 558 | 2 |
| 1988 | 15.5 MPG | 15 | 17 | $4025 | 574 | 2 |
| 1987 | 14.5 MPG | 14 | 16 | $4300 | 614 | 2 |
| 1986 | 14.5 MPG | 14 | 16 | $4300 | 614 | 2 |
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 vans bay
Among the 32 vans models tracked here, the Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD ranks 8 on current figures, against a class average of 15.0 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Chevrolet Astro 2WD (cargo) (17), Chevrolet G10/20 Sport Van 2WD (17), Ford Aerostar Van (17), Ford Aerostar Wagon (17), GMC Safari 2WD (cargo) (17).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 558 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 8.4 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD get?
The 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD is rated at 16 MPG combined by the EPA — 15.5 city and 17 highway. Across all 6 model years in the database it averages 15.4 MPG, ranging from 14 to 17 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD cost in fuel per year?
At 16 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 938 gallons — roughly $3000 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.200 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 1991 model is $3900.
Has the Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 14.5 MPG in 1986 to 16 in 1991 — an improvement of 1.5 MPG, or 10% across 6 model years.
Is the Volkswagen Vanagon/Camper 2WD efficient for its class?
It ranks 8 of 32 in the Vans class on current figures, against a class average of 15.0 MPG. That is 1.0 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.
