What is the best Chrysler Laser/Daytona for fuel economy?

The strongest year was 1986 at 26 mpg combined, against 19 mpg in 1984. That is a 7 mpg spread across the nameplate's history.

How much does a Chrysler Laser/Daytona cost to fuel each year?

At 11,500 miles a year the 1987 model uses between 548 and 605 gallons, or $1,917 to $2,118 at $3.50 a gallon.

What does the Chrysler Laser/Daytona emit?

EPA reports 423.1904761904762 to 467.7368421052632 grams of tailpipe CO2 per mile for the 1987 model year, or about 4.9 to 5.4 tons over a year of driving.

Chrysler Laser/Daytona MPG by year — every rating on record

The Chrysler Laser/Daytona has a combined EPA fuel economy rating for 3 model years, from 1984 to 1987. Across those years its best rated version returned 26 mpg (1986) and its thirstiest returned 19 mpg (1984). The EPA record holds 16 configurations for this nameplate, most recently a Subcompact Cars.

26best combined mpg (1986)

19worst combined mpg (1984)

21latest year best (1987)

16configurations on record

Year-by-year EPA ratings

Model year	Configurations	Best combined	Worst combined	Class rank that year	Drivetrains	Fuel	EPA class
1984	8	23 mpg	19 mpg	#30 of 57 (48th pct)	n/a	Regular	Subcompact Cars
1986	6	26 mpg	19 mpg	#21 of 59 (66th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular, Premium	Subcompact Cars
1987	2	21 mpg	19 mpg	#48 of 72 (34th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	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 Chrysler Laser/Daytona placed highest in 1986 at #21 of 59, and lowest in 1987 at #48 of 72. It spent 1 of its 3 ranked years in the top half of its class.

Every configuration on record

All 16 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
1987	2.2L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	17	22	19	605.3	15.7	$4,100	467.7368421052632	n/a
1987	2.2L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$3,700	423.1904761904762	n/a
1986	2.2L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	18	22	19	605.3	15.7	$4,100	467.7368421052632	n/a
1986	2.2L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	17	26	20	575.0	14.9	$3,900	444.35	n/a
1986	2.5L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS)	20	23	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
1986	2.2L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS)	21	24	22	522.7	13.5	$2,850	403.95454545454544	n/a
1986	2.5L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	21	29	24	479.2	12.4	$2,600	370.2916666666667	n/a
1986	2.2L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	22	32	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	18	22	19	605.3	15.7	$3,300	467.7368421052632	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS,TRBO) CA model, turbocharged	18	22	19	605.3	15.7	$3,300	467.7368421052632	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	18	25	20	575.0	14.9	$3,100	444.35	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS,TRBO) CA model, turbocharged	18	25	20	575.0	14.9	$3,100	444.35	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS) CA model	19	24	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS)	20	25	22	522.7	13.5	$2,850	403.95454545454544	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	19	29	22	522.7	13.5	$2,850	403.95454545454544	n/a
1984	2.2L 4-cyl Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS) CA model	19	29	23	500.0	12.9	$2,700	386.39130434782606	n/a

How the rating has moved between model years

Comparing the best-rated configuration of each year. 1 of 2 year-over-year steps improved the top rating.

Change	Best combined	Delta	Gallons a year at the newer rating
1984 → 1986	23 → 26 mpg	+3 mpg	442 gal
1986 → 1987	26 → 21 mpg	-5 mpg	548 gal

What Laser/Daytona fuel costs over a year

At the EPA's 11,500 miles a year, the 1987 Chrysler Laser/Daytona burns 548 to 605 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	$1,643	$1,816	$173
$3.50/gal	$1,917	$2,118	$202
$4.00/gal	$2,190	$2,421	$231

EPA’s own estimate for the 1987 model year is $3,700 to $4,100 a year in fuel, or $9,250 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 21 mpg the Chrysler Laser/Daytona is 3 mpg below the median, which is worth about $240 a year at $3.50 a gallon.

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

Other Chrysler nameplates

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