What is the best Volvo 850 for fuel economy?

The strongest year was 1993 at 21 mpg combined, against 19 mpg in 1994. That is a 2 mpg spread across the nameplate's history.

How much does a Volvo 850 cost to fuel each year?

At 11,500 miles a year the 1997 model uses between 548 and 605 gallons, or $1,917 to $2,118 at $3.50 a gallon.

What does the Volvo 850 emit?

EPA reports 423.1904761904762 to 467.7368421052632 grams of tailpipe CO2 per mile for the 1997 model year, or about 4.9 to 5.4 tons over a year of driving.

Volvo 850 MPG by year — every rating on record

The Volvo 850 has a combined EPA fuel economy rating for 5 model years, from 1993 to 1997. Across those years its best rated version returned 21 mpg (1993) and its thirstiest returned 19 mpg (1994). The EPA record holds 15 configurations for this nameplate, most recently a Midsize Cars.

21best combined mpg (1993)

19worst combined mpg (1994)

21latest year best (1997)

15configurations on record

Year-by-year EPA ratings

Model year	Configurations	Best combined	Worst combined	Class rank that year	Drivetrains	Fuel	EPA class
1993	2	21 mpg	21 mpg	#12 of 48 (77th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Midsize Cars
1994	3	21 mpg	19 mpg	#12 of 36 (69th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Midsize Cars
1995	3	21 mpg	19 mpg	#13 of 39 (68th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Midsize Cars
1996	3	21 mpg	19 mpg	#21 of 36 (43th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Premium	Midsize Cars
1997	4	21 mpg	19 mpg	#20 of 43 (55th pct)	Front-Wheel Drive	Premium	Midsize Cars

Where it has stood in its class

Ranked against every other nameplate the EPA filed under the same class that year. The Volvo 850 placed highest in 1993 at #12 of 48, and lowest in 1996 at #21 of 36. It spent 4 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
1997	2.3L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	17	24	19	605.3	15.7	$4,100	467.7368421052632	n/a
1997	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	18	24	20	575.0	14.9	$3,900	444.35	n/a
1997	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$3,700	423.1904761904762	n/a
1997	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Premium	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$3,700	423.1904761904762	n/a
1996	2.3L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	17	24	19	605.3	15.7	$4,100	467.7368421052632	n/a
1996	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Premium	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$3,700	423.1904761904762	n/a
1996	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Premium	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$3,700	423.1904761904762	n/a
1995	2.3L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	17	24	19	605.3	15.7	$3,300	467.7368421052632	n/a
1995	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
1995	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
1994	2.3L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	(FFS,TRBO), turbocharged	17	24	19	605.3	15.7	$3,300	467.7368421052632	n/a
1994	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	(FFS)	18	25	20	575.0	14.9	$3,100	444.35	n/a
1994	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
1993	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic 4-spd Regular	(FFS)	18	26	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a
1993	2.4L 5-cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 5-spd Regular	(FFS)	18	27	21	547.6	14.2	$2,950	423.1904761904762	n/a

What 850 fuel costs over a year

At the EPA's 11,500 miles a year, the 1997 Volvo 850 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 1997 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 Midsize Cars

Across the 483 nameplates EPA classifies as Midsize Cars, the median best combined rating is 25 mpg. At 21 mpg the Volvo 850 is 4 mpg below the median, which is worth about $307 a year at $3.50 a gallon.

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

Other Volvo nameplates

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