Fuel mileage isn’t the first–or even second–aspect most Jeep owners consider. After all, the EPA has no fuel mileage estimate for five mph rock-crawling.
Jeep has long enjoyed a reputation for building off-road-style vehicles that a large portion of its customers actually take off road. Although the percentage of the Jeep community’s die-hard off-roaders is shrinking as more consumers are choosing Jeep sport/utility vehicles as daily drivers on city streets and highways.
The Jeep division is Fiat Chrysler’s second-bestselling brand in the U.S., just behind the Ram truck division. And it is far ahead of Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, and Alfa Romeo combined. It is likely to remain the most profitable marque among all the brands of Stellantis, which was established in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot Citroen PSA. None of that success comes from industry-leading fuel efficiency, as all Jeeps are trucks or SUVs designed for extra-capable off-road ability. And the Jeep Wrangler line remains the driving force behind the brand’s authentic off-roader image.
Jeep: A Star Rock-crawler is Born
The U.S. government’s commissioned design of an Army workhorse for World War II led to the design of the Universal Jeep, built by Willys of Toledo, Ohio, and Ford Motor Company from 1941 to 1945. It was made with parts that could be universally used among manufacturers to make the vehicles easier to repair on European battlefields.
Easily transported, with a U.S. Army-targeted 80-inch wheelbase, curb weight of under 2,160 pounds with 4WD, and powered by a 60-hp 2.2-liter I-4, the original Willys Jeep MB no doubt would have scored very good fuel mileage in its day had there been an EPA or any official fuel mileage cycle back then.
Ford passed on the chance to build civilian jeeps (CJs) after WWII, but Willys continued to manufacture them, through corporate ownership by Kaiser Motors, AMC, Chrysler, Daimler-Chrysler, Cerberus, Fiat Chrysler, and now Stellantis. The original Army Jeep has morphed into a vehicle popular for rock-climbing, the physics-defying ability to climb slippery rocks of the likes of Moab, Utah, and California’s Rubicon Trail.
Jeep EPA Ratings Through the Years
AMC’s legendary 4.0-liter inline-six was a staple engine in Jeeps from the 1987 model year when it was introduced, up to 2006, with horsepower ranging from 177 to 190 in later years. But the brand’s fuel economy champs were powered by AMC’s 2.5-liter inline-four launched in 1984.
Adjusted EPA ratings for the 1984 Jeep CJ7 with a five-speed manual and four-wheel-drive was rated 19/23 mpg city/highway, with 21 mpg combined. The ’84 CJ8, with a 4.2-liter inline-six, three-speed automatic and 4WD was rated 16/20/18 mpg.
By 2001, however, the newer Jeep Wrangler version of the CJ models, with the standard 2.5-liter I-4, five-speed manual and 4WD had fallen to just 17/19 mpg, 17 mpg combined.
The Jeep Cherokee compact SUV provided little improvement. Even with standard rear-wheel-drive, a 1995 Cherokee with the 2.5-liter four and five-speed manual managed only 18/22 mpg city/highway, and 19 combined.
With modern technology expanding the lineup into compacts and subcompacts–along with strict 2025 EPA fuel mileage standards–the current Jeeps are the most fuel-efficient ever built.
Pre-owned Jeeps with the Best Gas Mileage
If you’re looking to save at the pump, why not cut down on other costs as well? One way to do this is to go with a fuel-efficient used Jeep model. One that stands out is the 2015 Jeep Renegade SUV, which, when ordered with the 1.4L engine and its six-speed manual, could hit 24 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway.
If you prefer an automatic, a nine-speed is offered paired to a larger 2.5L four-cylinder at a cost of two mpg in the city and one1 on the highway. Clean examples can be found with less than 100,000 miles for under $10,000, just be sure to run a Vehicle History VIN report first to make sure any recalls have already been performed.
2021 Jeep Range
Jeep’s icon remains the Wrangler, a direct descendant of the Willys MB and post-war CJ models, now available in two- or four-door (unofficially, the “Wrangler Unlimited”) variants. A crew cab (four-door) pickup truck variation is badged “Gladiator.” The rest of the marque’s range consists mainly of more traditional sport/utilities, and on the small end, a subcompact crossover/utility called Renegade.
Next up in size is Jeep’s entry in the highly popular compact SUV segment, the Compass. The Jeep Cherokee is a larger two-row sport/utility, and next up after that is Jeep’s most popular model, the midsize Grand Cherokee.
For 10 model years, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has used a rear-wheel-drive-based platform derived from the Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV, a product of Daimler’s 1998-2007 ownership of Jeep parent, Chrysler. That model has been replaced by the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, an all-new model on a new platform, with three rows of seats instead of two, on sale Spring 2021.
An all-new two-row Grand Cherokee (sans “L”) appears on that new platform this fall, while the last of the old Mercedes-based two-row Grand Cherokees fades away with the 2021 model year.
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are even larger, based on the Ram 1500 pickup truck platform, and won’t challenge smaller Jeeps for best gas mileage, either (the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer, starts at $67,995 and is a subbrand of Jeep, designed to compete with the Land Rover/Range Rover).
Jeep’s Trail Rating
Four-wheel-drive Jeeps that meet the manufacturer’s standards for traction, water fording, maneuverability, articulation, and ground-clearance receive a “trail rating.” The rating results in a drop in fuel mileage in some models, but if you plan any serious off-roading, you will probably be willing to make that compromise. No 2022 Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer will be trail-rated, as the vehicle has too big a footprint to meet these standards.
Jeep with Best Gas Mileage
Jeep’s 1.3-liter turbo version of the 2021 Jeep Renegade offers the best available gas mileage and fuel efficiency. The phone booth-shaped Renegade is a subcompact crossover/utility that comes standard with a nine-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel-drive, for an EPA fuel mileage estimate of 24 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 27 mpg overall. Add four-wheel-drive and the numbers drop 1 mpg city, 3 mpg highway, for a fairly respectable 23/29 mpg and a combined figure of 25 mpg.
Fiat Chrysler’s 2.4-liter “Tigershark” naturally-aspirated inline-four, also coupled to the nine-speed automatic (though a larger powerplant), is standard on FWD and 4WD versions of the Renegade.
It adds just three horses to the 1.3-liter turbo’s output, for 180 hp, and drops both city and highway mileage by two mpg, to 22/30 mpg and 25 mpg overall with FWD, 21/29, and 24 overall with 4WD. The trail-rated version is called the Renegade Trailhawk. It comes with the 177 hp, 1.3-liter turbo four- and nine-speed automatic only, and is rated 22/27 mpg city/highway, with a 24-mpg overall rating.
The Jeep Renegade rides on the same vehicle architecture as the 2021 Fiat 500 X, which comes only with an “on-demand” all-wheel-drive system and the same 1.3-liter turbo four and nine-speed automatic. It is rated 24/30 mpg, 26-mpg combined, for a 1 mpg gain city and highway over the non-Trailhawk 4WD Renegade. Hurry, though. The 500X is the last new Fiat available in U.S. dealers, and won’t return for the 2022 model year.
2021 Jeep Wrangler’s MPG
Substantially larger and far more capable off road, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler two-door, when equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 and eight-speed automatic transmission, is EPA rated 22/24 mpg city/highway, for a combined 23 mpg. Though highway mileage is off three mpg highway (probably for the Wrangler’s stubbier off-road tires and its barn-door aero shape), city mpg matches the Renegade Trailhawk’s. The four-door Wrangler with the turbo-four and automatic is rated 21/24 mpg, for 22 mpg combined. All new Wranglers come with 4WD.
The Wrangler’s more popular 3.6-liter V6 is rated 20/24 mpg and 21 combined with the eight-speed automatic and 17/25/20 mpg with a six-speed manual, for the two-door, and 19/24 mpg, 21 combined with the automatic, and 17/23 mpg and 19 mpg combined with the manual.
The Wrangler Unlimited four-door is available with the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 and eight-speed automatic. While this story is about the best Jeep gas mileage, it should be noted that the diesel gets the Wrangler four-door to 22/29 mpg, 25 combined, or in extra-capable Rubicon off-road trim, 21/26 city/highway, 23 mpg combined. The same diesel engine returns the best fuel mileage in the large Gladiator pickup, at 22/28 city/highway and 24 combined.
There’s a 6.4-liter V8 option for the Wrangler Unlimited available for the first time this year, and though it’s not really worth mentioning in a story about fuel mileage, for the record, it’s 13/17 mpg, 14 combined.
A New Best-gas Mileage Jeep is On the Way
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe four-door is worth mentioning, because when it arrives in the U.S., it will be the brand’s most fuel-efficient model. Jeep estimates 50 mpg-e (equivalent) combined fuel mileage for the plug-in hybrid, with its 17 killowatt-hour electric motor attached to the eight-speed automatic transmission. Combined with the 2.0-liter turbo-four, the 4WD powertrain makes 375 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque, making it a rival for that thirsty V8 Wrangler.
This powertrain was introduced in early 2020 in Europe, where the EU’s new CO2 limits made that market a priority for the PHEV. It is listed as an option for the ’21 Wrangler four-door at jeep.com, but there are no EPA test numbers at fueleconomy.gov so it’s not on sale in the U.S. yet. It is worth the wait, because with 24-miles maximum pure electric range on a full charge, you can scramble up and down those Moab rocks in near-silence. We just can’t be sure when it will make it to U.S. dealerships.
Additional Jeeps Worth Considering
The 2021 Jeep Compass is larger than the 2021 Renegade, a compact model with just one powertrain choice, the same 2.4-liter I-4 and nine-speed automatic standard in the smaller model, and it gets slightly better fuel economy.
With FWD, it is EPA rated 22/31, and with AWD, it’s 22/30/25. Both represent a one-mpg gain in highway mileage over the Renegade, and there’s more cargo space, so you’re more likely to fit a bike in back without taking off its front wheel.
The larger two-row Jeep Cherokee comes with the Wrangler’s 2.0-liter turbo four and nine-speed automatic standard, for an EPA rating of 23/31 and 26 mpg combined with FWD, 21/29 and 24 combined with 4WD. That’s just 1 mpg city and 1 mpg highway short of the 2.4-liter Renegade with FWD and minus -two mpg city, but equal highway mileage with the 2.4-liter, 4WD Renegade.
Remember, the Renegade’s optional 1.3-liter turbo has better numbers, but the 2.0-turbo in the Cherokee is a newer design, and thus more efficient than the naturally aspirated 2.4 in the Renegade.
Photos: Jeep
