*The values used in this article are as of 2022-2023.
In this article, we’ll examine whether 19 MPG, or 12.3 L/100 km, is a reasonable fuel economy for a general automobile, and then we will discuss 19 MPG for specific vehicle types.
The focus will be on combined fuel economy. We will, however, briefly discuss city and highway fuel economy.
Is 19 MPG Good?
19 MPG is not a good fuel economy for a typical automobile. A 19 MPG car burns 17.39% more fuel than the 50th percentile (median) vehicle, which gets 23 MPG. However, when it comes to specific types of vehicles such as pick-up trucks, full-size SUVs, and sports cars, 19 MPG is considered average.
The table below shows how good 19 MPG is for different types of vehicles.
| Vehicle Type | Median Fuel Economy | 19 MPG is | 19 MPG/Median Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Automobiles | 23 | Bad | – 17.39% |
| Sedan | 28 | Terrible | – 32.14% |
| Small SUV | 27 | Terrible | – 29.63% |
| Large SUV | 21 | Substandard | – 10.52% |
| Sports Cars | 19 | Standard | + 0.00% |
| Pickup Truck | 18 | Decent | + 5.55% |
As we can see in this chart, 19 MPG is within the 50th percentile for sports cars and above the 50th percentile for vehicle categories: full-size SUVs and full-size pickup trucks.
The median is a better measure of assessing whether or not 19 MPG is good. Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids can significantly inflate average gas mileage values.
For example, we calculated that the average MPG for a pickup truck is 20.6 miles per gallon. However, 20.6 MPG is above the 70th percentile for all pickup trucks. That means for every 10 pickup trucks, 7 get lower gas mileage than the average of 20.6.
The median MPG, or 50th percentile, much better reconciles the large efficiency gap between electric and gas-powered vehicles.
19 MPG City
19 MPG in the city is slightly below average. The median car (50th percentile) gets 20 MPG in the city.
However, for a vehicle with a regenerative braking system, 19 MPG in the city is bad. The 50th percentile city fuel economy for a hybrid (MHEV/HEV) car is 23 MPG.
The fuel efficiency of a vehicle in the city is typically lower than its efficiency on the highway. Full-hybrid cars, on the other hand, are often more efficient in the city than on the highway because of regenerative braking systems.
19 MPG Highway
On the highway, 19 MPG is very poor fuel economy. It’s well below the median of 27 miles per gallon for highway driving, which is the 50th percentile. That’s an 8-miles per gallon difference. A typical 19 MPG highway rating translates to just 15 MPG combined (city/highway) for most vehicles.
The cost of 19 MPG
A car that gets only 19 MPG is going to cost you significantly more money to drive than the average vehicle.
At $5.00 per gallon, a vehicle that does 19 MPG will generally cost you $0.26 per mile. A 15-mile commute to work will cost you $3.95 in gas.
When driving 15,000 miles per year, the annual cost of fuel for a car that gets 19 MPG is $3,947. At 19 MPG, you spend $686 more on gas than the median car.
How many miles is 19 MPG?
MPG is a measurement of how far your car can travel per gallon of gas. So, at 19 MPG, your car can cover a distance of 19 miles, or 30.6 kilometers, for every gallon of fuel. A 19 MPG car with a fuel capacity of 15 gallons can travel up to 285 miles before having to refuel.
19 MPG in L/100 km
19 MPG is 12.3 L/100 km. That means you burn 12.3 liters of fuel for every 100 kilometers driven.
At 12.3 L/100 km, you can go 8.1 km with one liter of gas.
19 MPG on SUVs
19 MPG is considered lousy fuel economy for SUVs in general. However, like it is for any other vehicle type, there are many things to consider before determining whether or not 19 MPG is good fuel economy for a given vehicle.
For example, 19 MPG might be great for a large SUV with a V8 engine but horrible for a small 4-cylinder SUV.
There are 2 main categories and 4 subcategories for SUVs: full-size and mid-size SUVs fall into the large SUV category, while compact and subcompact SUVs fall into the small SUV category.
To get a better idea of what you can consider good fuel economy for an SUV, please check out our articles covering the fuel economies of large SUVs and small SUVs.
We’ll take a look at each subcategory.
Full-size SUVs:
19 MPG is excellent fuel economy for a full-size SUV. It is above the 80th percentile and 10.8% greater than the median fuel economy. The median full-size SUV gets average gas mileage of 17 miles per gallon.
19 MPG or above is usually seen in the most fuel-efficient full-size SUV trims, typically fitted with MHEV 6-cylinder engines.
The 3.5 L, 6-cylinder gas engine Ford Expedition is one of the few full-sized SUVs that can achieve an average gas mileage of 19 MPG.
Mid-size SUVs:
For a mid-size SUV, 19 MPG is considered low gas mileage. It is 2 miles less than the median MPG for the segment, which is 21 MPG. 19 MPG is the 35th percentile of the gas mileage for mid-size SUVs. It is not good.
The 25th percentile fuel economy for a 6-cylinder mid-size SUV is 19 miles per gallon.
The 3.5 L 6-cylinder 2023 Land Rover Defender is an example of a mid-size SUV which does 19 miles per gallon.
Compact SUVs:
For compact SUVs, 19 MPG is considered a very bad fuel economy. It is 24% lower than the median and is well below the 20th percentile for all compact SUVs. The median fuel economy for this segment is 25 MPG.
19 MPG is typically seen in performance variants of luxury compact SUVs. The 2.9 L 6-cylinder Porsche Macan GTS is an example of a compact SUV that averages 19 MPG.
Subcompact SUVs:
19 MPG is the worst gas mileage you can get on a subcompact SUV. There are very few subcompact SUVs, if any at all, that are rated to get 19 miles per gallon or less.
If you are getting 19 MPG or less on a subcompact SUV, it is likely due to poor driving habits or conditions. If not, then you should probably have the car inspected in a garage.
The subcompact SUV with the lowest gas mileage is the 2.0 L 4-cylinder Mercedes-Benz AMG GLA45 4matic, which gets 22 MPG.
19 MPG on Pick-up Trucks
Whether 19 MPG is good for a pickup truck mainly depends on what type of pickup truck you drive. For example, the average mid-size gasoline pickup truck is 16% more fuel-efficient than its average full-size counterpart.
Pickup trucks that are fitted with bigger engines are typically expected to have a lower fuel economy than pickup trucks with smaller engines.
To get a better idea of what you can consider good fuel economy for pickup trucks, please check out our articles covering the fuel economies of mid-size and full-size pickup trucks.
Full-size trucks:
19 MPG is a slightly above average fuel economy for a full-size pickup truck. A full-size pickup that gets 19 miles per gallon uses 11% less gas than the median full-size pickup, which gets 18 MPG.
19 MPG is generally seen in full-size pickup trucks that have 6-cylinder engines. The average 6-cylinder pickup truck gets 19 MPG.
An example of a full-size pickup truck that gets 19 miles per gallon is the 3.4 L 6-cylinder Toyota Tundra.
Mid-size trucks:
19 MPG is not good fuel economy for midsize pickup trucks. It falls below the 25th percentile of the gas mileage for all midsize pickup trucks. The median MPG for this type of pickup is 21 miles per gallon.
The absence of V8 engines in mid-size pickup trucks is primarily responsible for the significant difference between full-size and mid-size. A large proportion of full-size pickup trucks are equipped with V8 engines, which have very low gas mileage, averaging 16 miles per gallon.
However, when fitted with the same engine, mid-size pickup trucks have very similar fuel economy as their full-size counterparts despite the weight difference.
19 MPG is the average gas mileage in pickup trucks that have 6-cylinder engines. An example of a mid-size pickup truck with 19 MPG is the 3.6 L 6-cylinder Chevrolet Colorado.
19 MPG on Sedans
As we can see in the above chart, which illustrates the different percentile ranges for sedans, 19 MPG is considered horrible gas mileage for a sedan in general.
Depending on the type of sedan you drive, the answer may vary. For instance, 19 MPG may be considered average for a full-size luxury sedan with a V8 engine, but awful for a mid-size sedan with four cylinders.
To get a better idea of what you can consider good fuel economy for a sedan, please check out our articles covering the fuel economies of every type of sedan.
Full-size sedans:
19 MPG is in the lower bounds of what is considered acceptable fuel economy for full-size sedans, 19 to 25 MPG. It is in the 25th percentile.
You can generally expect 8-cylinder luxury full-size sedans to do 19 MPG.
An example of a full-size sedan that does 19 miles per gallon is the 5.7 L 8-cylinder Chrysler 300.
Mid-size sedans:
19 MPG is considered very bad for a mid-size sedan. It is 27% less fuel-efficient than the median mid-size sedan, which gets 26 MPG.
Most mid-size sedans that get 19 MPG are 6-cylinder performance cars. An example of a 19 MPG mid-size car would be the 2023 3.0 L 6-cylinder BMW M3 competition.
Small sedans (including hatchbacks):
19 MPG is considered horrible fuel economy for compact sedans or hatchbacks. These cars normally do between 28 and 35 miles per gallon, with the median being 31.5 miles per gallon. Getting 19 MPG with a small sedan is likely due to poor driving habits or road conditions.
Similar to subcompact SUVs, small/compact cars with 4-5 doors should not achieve 19 MPG. The compact car with the lowest fuel economy is the 2.4 L 4-cylinder Subaru WRX, which has a 21 MPG EPA rating.
19 MPG on Sports Cars
19 MPG is the 50th percentile for sports cars, which is considered average fuel economy. It is good fuel economy for sports cars that have V8, V10, V12, and even W16 engines, but bad for ones with 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines.
A sports car that gets 19 MPG is the 2023 BMW M850i x Drive Coupe, which is fitted with a 4.4 L V8 engine.
Conclusion
Whether or not 19 MPG is a good fuel economy largely comes down to the type of vehicle you are driving. In a general sense, 19 MPG is a bad fuel economy, as it is 5 miles per gallon lower than the median for all automobiles. However, for full-size pickup trucks and full-size SUVs, 19 MPG is considered to be decent fuel economy.