What is the best Acura RSX for fuel economy?

The strongest year was 2002 at 26 mpg combined, against 23 mpg in 2005. That is a 3 mpg spread across the nameplate's history.

How much does a Acura RSX cost to fuel each year?

At 11,500 miles a year the 2006 model uses between 442 and 500 gallons, or $1,548 to $1,750 at $3.50 a gallon.

What does the Acura RSX emit?

EPA reports 341.8076923076923 to 386.39130434782606 grams of tailpipe CO2 per mile for the 2006 model year, or about 3.9 to 4.4 tons over a year of driving.

Acura RSX MPG by year — every rating on record

The Acura RSX has a combined EPA fuel economy rating for 5 model years, from 2002 to 2006. Across those years its best rated version returned 26 mpg (2002) and its thirstiest returned 23 mpg (2005). The EPA record holds 15 configurations for this nameplate, most recently a Subcompact Cars.

26best combined mpg (2002)

23worst combined mpg (2005)

26latest year best (2006)

15configurations on record

Year-by-year EPA ratings

Model year	Configurations	Best combined	Worst combined	Class rank that year	Drivetrains	Fuel	EPA class
2002	3	26 mpg	24 mpg	#7 of 34 (82th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Subcompact Cars
2003	3	26 mpg	24 mpg	#3 of 28 (93th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Subcompact Cars
2004	3	26 mpg	24 mpg	#4 of 31 (90th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Subcompact Cars
2005	3	26 mpg	23 mpg	#4 of 29 (89th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Subcompact Cars
2006	3	26 mpg	23 mpg	#5 of 38 (89th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Subcompact Cars

Where it has stood in its class

Ranked against every other nameplate the EPA filed under the same class that year. The Acura RSX placed highest in 2003 at #3 of 28, and lowest in 2002 at #7 of 34. It spent 5 of its 5 ranked years in the top half of its class.

Every configuration on record

All 15 configurations EPA lists for this nameplate, newest first.

Year	Configuration	Engine detail	City	Highway	Combined	Gallons/yr	Barrels/yr	EPA fuel cost/yr	CO2 g/mi	GHG
2006	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 6-spd Premium	2.0L 4-cyl	20	28	23	500.0	12.9	$3,350	386.39130434782606	n/a
2006	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S5) Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	22	31	25	460.0	11.9	$2,500	355.48	n/a
2006	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	24	31	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a
2005	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 6-spd Premium	2.0L 4-cyl	20	28	23	500.0	12.9	$3,350	386.39130434782606	n/a
2005	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S5) Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	22	31	25	460.0	11.9	$2,500	355.48	n/a
2005	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	24	31	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a
2004	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 6-spd Premium	2.0L 4-cyl	21	28	24	479.2	12.4	$3,250	370.2916666666667	n/a
2004	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S5) Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	22	31	25	460.0	11.9	$2,500	355.48	n/a
2004	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	24	30	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a
2003	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 6-spd Premium	VTC/VTEC	21	28	24	479.2	12.4	$3,250	370.2916666666667	n/a
2003	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S5) Regular	VTC/VTEC	21	30	25	460.0	11.9	$2,500	355.48	n/a
2003	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	VTC/VTEC	24	30	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a
2002	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 6-spd Premium	2.0L 4-cyl	21	28	24	479.2	12.4	$3,250	370.2916666666667	n/a
2002	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S5) Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	21	30	24	479.2	12.4	$2,600	370.2916666666667	n/a
2002	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	23	30	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a

What RSX fuel costs over a year

At the EPA's 11,500 miles a year, the 2006 Acura RSX burns 442 to 500 gallons depending on configuration. Below is what that costs at three pump prices, and how much more the thirstiest configuration costs than the most efficient one.

Pump price	Most efficient	Thirstiest	Spread
$3.00/gal	$1,327	$1,500	$173
$3.50/gal	$1,548	$1,750	$202
$4.00/gal	$1,769	$2,000	$231

EPA’s own estimate for the 2006 model year is $2,400 to $3,350 a year in fuel, or $750 more than the average new vehicle over five years.

How it compares with other Subcompact Cars

Across the 461 nameplates EPA classifies as Subcompact Cars, the median best combined rating is 24 mpg. At 26 mpg the Acura RSX is 2 mpg better the median, which is worth about $129 a year at $3.50 a gallon.

All Subcompact Cars rankings — every nameplate in the class, best to worst.

Other Acura nameplates

Every Acura model compared → — all nameplates ranked by best combined rating, with what each one costs a year.