What is the best Dodge Neon for fuel economy?

The strongest year was 1997 at 29 mpg combined, against 24 mpg in 1998. That is a 5 mpg spread across the nameplate's history.

How much does a Dodge Neon cost to fuel each year?

At 11,500 miles a year the 2002 model uses between 426 and 479 gallons, or $1,491 to $1,677 at $3.50 a gallon.

What does the Dodge Neon emit?

EPA reports 329.14814814814815 to 370.2916666666667 grams of tailpipe CO2 per mile for the 2002 model year, or about 3.8 to 4.3 tons over a year of driving.

Dodge Neon MPG by year — every rating on record

The Dodge Neon has a combined EPA fuel economy rating for 8 model years, from 1995 to 2002. Across those years its best rated version returned 29 mpg (1997) and its thirstiest returned 24 mpg (1998). The EPA record holds 16 configurations for this nameplate, most recently a Compact Cars.

29best combined mpg (1997)

24worst combined mpg (1998)

27latest year best (2002)

16configurations on record

Year-by-year EPA ratings

Model year	Configurations	Best combined	Worst combined	Class rank that year	Drivetrains	Fuel	EPA class
1995	2	28 mpg	26 mpg	#4 of 60 (95th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
1996	2	28 mpg	25 mpg	#9 of 52 (84th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
1997	2	29 mpg	25 mpg	#4 of 46 (93th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
1998	2	29 mpg	24 mpg	#5 of 47 (91th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
1999	2	28 mpg	24 mpg	#8 of 50 (86th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
2000	2	27 mpg	24 mpg	#8 of 50 (86th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
2001	2	26 mpg	24 mpg	#15 of 62 (77th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars
2002	2	27 mpg	24 mpg	#12 of 64 (83th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Compact Cars

Where it has stood in its class

Ranked against every other nameplate the EPA filed under the same class that year. The Dodge Neon placed highest in 1995 at #4 of 60, and lowest in 2001 at #15 of 62. It spent 8 of its 8 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
2002	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	21	29	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	24	31	27	425.9	11.0	$2,300	329.14814814814815	n/a
2001	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	21	28	24	479.2	12.4	$2,600	370.2916666666667	n/a
2001	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
2000	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	22	28	24	479.2	12.4	$2,600	370.2916666666667	n/a
2000	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	24	31	27	425.9	11.0	$2,300	329.14814814814815	n/a
1999	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	21	29	24	479.2	12.4	$2,600	370.2916666666667	n/a
1999	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	24	36	28	410.7	10.6	$2,250	317.39285714285717	n/a
1998	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	21	30	24	479.2	12.4	$2,600	370.2916666666667	n/a
1998	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	2.0L 4-cyl	25	37	29	396.6	10.3	$2,150	306.44827586206895	n/a
1997	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS)	22	31	25	460.0	11.9	$2,500	355.48	n/a
1997	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	25	35	29	396.6	10.3	$2,150	306.44827586206895	n/a
1996	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS)	22	30	25	460.0	11.9	$2,500	355.48	n/a
1996	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	24	35	28	410.7	10.6	$2,250	317.39285714285717	n/a
1995	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 3-spd Regular	(FFS)	23	30	26	442.3	11.4	$2,400	341.8076923076923	n/a
1995	2.0L 4-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	25	34	28	410.7	10.6	$2,250	317.39285714285717	n/a

How the rating has moved between model years

Comparing the best-rated configuration of each year. 2 of 5 year-over-year steps improved the top rating.

Change	Best combined	Delta	Gallons a year at the newer rating
1996 → 1997	28 → 29 mpg	+1 mpg	397 gal
1998 → 1999	29 → 28 mpg	-1 mpg	411 gal
1999 → 2000	28 → 27 mpg	-1 mpg	426 gal
2000 → 2001	27 → 26 mpg	-1 mpg	442 gal
2001 → 2002	26 → 27 mpg	+1 mpg	426 gal

What Neon fuel costs over a year

At the EPA's 11,500 miles a year, the 2002 Dodge Neon burns 426 to 479 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	$1,278	$1,438	$160
$3.50/gal	$1,491	$1,677	$186
$4.00/gal	$1,704	$1,917	$213

EPA’s own estimate for the 2002 model year is $2,300 to $2,600 a year in fuel, or $1,750 more than the average new vehicle over five years.

How it compares with other Compact Cars

Across the 498 nameplates EPA classifies as Compact Cars, the median best combined rating is 26 mpg. At 27 mpg the Dodge Neon is 1 mpg better the median, which is worth about $57 a year at $3.50 a gallon.

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

Other Dodge nameplates

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