FuelFacts

1984 BMW 5 Series MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

18–20
MPG combined (15–18 city / 22–24 hwy)
$2,850–$3,167
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1984 BMW 5 Series good on gas?

At up to 20 MPG combined, the 1984 BMW 5 Series is worse than average for a Compact Cars — that class averages about 24.1 MPG across 6,481 EPA-tested versions, so it's on the thirsty side for its size.

Real-world MPG vs the EPA number

The EPA figures above come from a standardized dynamometer test, not the open road — real-world MPG typically runs a bit lower depending on your driving, climate and terrain. That's true of every car on this site, old or new.

This 1984 model was originally EPA-tested under the pre-2008 2-cycle method, which didn't account for highway speeds over 60 mph, air-conditioner use, or cold starts. When EPA overhauled the test for model year 2008, city ratings fell by about 12% and highway by about 8% on average industry-wide — and EPA retroactively adjusted every 1984-2007 rating to the stricter standard so old and new cars could be compared fairly. The MPG above is already on that modern scale — the window sticker on this car when it was new likely showed a higher, pre-2008-method number.

At today's AAA national average price — $3.80/gal for regular gas as of 2026-07-05 — the most efficient trim runs about $2,850/year (roughly $238/month, about $19.00 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 750 gallons a year. We don't estimate a cost-per-fill since exact tank size isn't in the public EPA dataset, but the per-100-mile figure scales to any tank. Current national average gas prices →

1984 BMW 5 Series trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
2.7L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR20$2,850
2.7L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR20$2,850
3.2L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR18$3,167
3.2L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR18$3,167

1984 BMW 5 Series specs

What the EPA test-car listings record for this model year — every combination sold is a row in the trims table above.

Engine options2.7L 6-cyl · 3.2L 6-cyl
TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd
EPA body classCompact Cars
FuelRegular

Other years of the BMW 5 Series

1988 BMW 5 Series1987 BMW 5 Series1986 BMW 5 Series1985 BMW 5 Series

Similar cars (Compact Cars)

1984 Pontiac 2000 Sunbird1984 Volvo 240 DL/GL/Turbo1984 Oldsmobile Omega1984 Peugeot 604 Sedan1984 Mercedes-Benz 300SD/380SE1984 Kenyon Corporation Of America Kenyon 5.0 Coupe

Cars that take premium · Cheapest cars to fuel · Where fuel grade depends on the trim · Fuel guides

4 trim(s) · EPA FuelEconomy.gov data retrieved 2026-07-24 · fuel prices AAA national average as of 2026-07-05.