*The values used in this article are as of 2022-2023.
In this article, we will determine if 21 MPG, or 11.2 L/100 km, is an acceptable fuel economy for a general automobile, and then we will discuss 21 MPG for specific vehicle types.
The focus will be on combined fuel economy. We will, however, briefly discuss city and highway fuel economy.
Is 21 MPG Good?
For a typical car, 21 MPG is not good gas mileage. A car with 21 MPG gets 8.7% less gas mileage than the median car, which gets 23 MPG. As far as specific vehicles go, 21 MPG is a great fuel economy for full-size pickup trucks, full-size SUVs, and sports cars.
The table below shows how good 21 MPG is for different types of vehicles.
| Vehicle Type | Median Fuel Economy | 21 MPG is | 21MPG/Median Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Automobiles | 23 | Somewhat Acceptable | – 8.70% |
| Sedan | 28 | Very Bad | – 25.00% |
| Small SUV | 27 | Very Bad | – 22.22% |
| Large SUV | 21 | Standard | 0.00% |
| Sports Cars | 19 | Good | + 9.52% |
| Pickup Truck | 18 | Excellent | + 14.29% |
As we can see in this chart, 21 MPG is above the 50th percentile for 3 vehicle categories: full-size SUVs, full-size pickup trucks, and sports cars (coupes). It is standard for mid-size pickup trucks, full-size sedans, and mid-size SUVs.
The median is a better measure of assessing whether or not 21 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.
21 MPG City
21 MPG in the city is within what is considered normal fuel economy and slightly above the median. The median car (50th percentile) gets 20 MPG in the city.
However, for a car with a regenerative braking system, 21 MPG in the city is below the standard. The 50th percentile city fuel economy for a hybrid (MHEV/HEV) is 23 MPG.
Typically, city fuel economy is lower than highway fuel economy. Full-hybrid cars, on the other hand, are often more efficient in the city than on the highway because of regenerative braking systems.
21 MPG Highway
21 MPG on the highway is a very bad fuel economy. It is a long way below the 50th percentile of highway fuel economy, which is 27 MPG. That is a 6-mile difference per gallon. For most vehicles, 21 MPG on the highway means 18 MPG combined (city and highway), which is also very bad.
The cost of 21 MPG
A car that gets only 21 MPG is going to cost you more money to drive than the average car.
At $5.00 per gallon, a vehicle that gets 21 MPG will generally cost you $0.24 per mile. A 15-mile commute to work will cost you $3.57 in gas.
When driving 15,000 miles per year, the annual cost of fuel for a car that gets 21 MPG is $3,570. At 21 MPG, you spend $309 more on gas than the median car.
How many miles is 21 MPG
MPG tells you how far your car can go (in miles) on one gallon of gas. So, if your car gets 21 MPG, it can go 21 miles (33.7 kilometers) for every gallon of gas. A car that gets 21 miles per gallon and has a fuel tank that holds 15 gallons can drive up to 315 miles before it needs to be refueled.
21 MPG for SUVs
In general, 21 MPG is not a good fuel economy for an SUV. But, just like with any other type of vehicle, there are a lot of things to consider before determining if 21 MPG is a good fuel economy for a given vehicle.
For instance, 21 MPG might be great for a big SUV with a V8 engine but terrible for a small SUV with only 4 cylinders.
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:
21 MPG is excellent fuel economy for a full-size SUV. That’s 23.5% more miles per gallon than the median. The median gas mileage for this segment is 17 miles per gallon. A full-size SUV that gets 21 MPG is better than 90% of full-size SUVs.
21 MPG or above is usually seen in the most fuel-efficient full-size SUVs, typically fitted with diesel engines.
The 6-cylinder, diesel-engined Cadillac Escalade is one of the few full-sized SUVs that can achieve gas mileage above 21 MPG. It has an EPA rating of 22 MPG.
Mid-size SUVs:
For a mid-size SUV, 21 MPG is the standard gas mileage or the 50th percentile. It’s not great, but it’s not bad either.
21 MPG is usually seen in 6-cylinder mid-size SUVs. The median fuel economy for 6-cylinder mid-size SUVs is 20 MPG.
The 3.8 L 6-cylinder 2023 Hyundai Palisade is an example of an SUV which does 21 miles per gallon.
Compact SUVs:
For compact SUVs, 21 MPG is considered a very bad fuel economy. It is 16% lower than the median compact SUV gas mileage and is well below the 25th percentile. The median fuel economy for this segment is 25 MPG.
21 MPG is typically seen in 6-cylinder compact SUVs. The median 6-cylinder crossover’s gas mileage is 21 MPG
An example of a compact SUV that gets 21 MPG is the 2023 Genesis GV70, which has a 3.5 L 6-cylinder engine.
Subcompact SUVs:
21 MPG is the worst gas mileage you can get on a subcompact SUV. There are few to no subcompact SUVs that are supposed to get 21 MPG or lower.
If you are getting 21 MPG or less on a subcompact SUV, it is likely due to driving habits or conditions. If you are a careful driver and still get 21 miles per gallon, then you should have the subcompact 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.
21 MPG for Pick-up Trucks
The type of pickup truck you drive has a significant impact on whether or not 21 MPG is a good gas mileage for your vehicle. The typical mid-size gasoline pickup truck is 16 percent more efficient than the average full-size counterpart.
Typically, larger engines in pickup trucks are expected to have lower fuel efficiency than smaller engines in pickup trucks.
To get a better idea of what you can consider good fuel economy for pickup trucks, please check out our article covering the fuel economies of mid-size and full-size pickup trucks.
Full-size trucks:
21 MPG is excellent fuel economy for a full-size pickup truck. A full-size pickup doing 21 miles per gallon is 17% more fuel-efficient than the median full-size pickup truck, which does 18 MPG.
21 MPG is generally seen in full-size pickup trucks that have 4-cylinder engines or 6-cylinder hybrid engines. The average 4-cylinder pickup truck gets 20.5 MPG.
An example of a full-size pickup truck that gets 21 MPG is the 3.3 L 6-cylinder trim of the Ford F-150.
Mid-size trucks:
21 MPG is a normal fuel economy for midsize pickup trucks. It is at the 50th percentile of the gas mileage for all midsize pickup trucks.
As far as mid-size pickup trucks go, 21 MPG is usually seen in 4-cylinder engines. An example of a mid-size pickup truck that gets 21 MPG is the 2.3 L 4-cylinder Ford Ranger.
21 MPG for Sedans
As we can see in the above chart, which illustrates the different percentile ranges for sedans, 21 MPG is considered horrible gas mileage for a sedan in general.
Of course, the answer will vary depending on the type of sedan being driven. Although 21 MPG could be an awesome gas mileage for a large, luxurious, V8-powered sedan, it would be terrible for a small sedan.
To get a better idea of what you can consider good fuel economy for sedans, please check out our article covering the fuel economies of every type of sedan vehicle.
Full-size sedans:
21 MPG is within the bounds of what is considered acceptable fuel economy for full-size sedans, 19 to 25 MPG.
You can generally expect 6-cylinder luxury full-size sedans to do 21 MPG.
An example of a full-size sedan that does 21 miles per gallon is the 3.6 L 6-cylinder Chrysler 300.
Mid-size sedans:
21 MPG is considered very bad for a mid-size sedan. The median fuel economy for a mid-size is 26 MPG, which is 24% higher than 21.
Most mid-size sedans that get 21 MPG are 6-cylinder luxury cars. An example of this would be the 3.0 L 6-cylinder Acura TLX Type-S.
Small sedans (including hatchbacks):
21 MPG is the worst 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 21 MPG with a small sedan is likely due to poor driving habits.
Much like subcompact SUVs, small/compact 4-5 door cars should not be getting 21 MPG.
An example of a compact car that gets 21 MPG is the 2.4 L 4-cylinder Subaru WRX. The WRX has the lowest gas mileage of any small car today.
21 MPG for Sports Cars
21 MPG is in the 67th percentile for sports cars, which is considered good fuel economy. The median sports car does 19 miles per gallon.
21 miles per gallon is great for sports vehicles with large engines like the V8, V10, V12, and W16, but it’s expected for 6-cylinders and bad for 4-cylinders. A 6-cylinder sports car’s average fuel economy is 20 mpg.
A sports car that gets 21 MPG is the 2.5 L 4-cylinder Porsche Cayman S.
Conclusion
Whether or not 21 MPG is a good fuel economy largely comes down to the type of vehicle you are driving. In a general sense, 21 MPG is not a good fuel economy, as it is 2 MPG lower than the median for all automobiles.
However, for full-size pickup trucks, full-size SUVs, and sports cars, 21 MPG is considered great, while it is standard for mid-size pickup trucks, full-size sedans, and mid-size SUVs.