FuelFacts

1984 Pontiac Firebird MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

15–23
MPG combined (13–20 city / 20–29 hwy)
$2,478–$3,800
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1984 Pontiac Firebird good on gas?

At up to 23 MPG combined, the 1984 Pontiac Firebird is about average for a Subcompact Cars — that class averages about 22.8 MPG across 5,756 EPA-tested versions, so it's middle-of-the-road 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 $2,478/year (roughly $206/month, about $16.52 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 652 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 Pontiac Firebird trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
2.5L 4-cyl, 5-spd manualREGULAR23$2,478
2.5L 4-cyl, 5-spd manualREGULAR23$2,478
2.5L 4-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR22$2,591
2.5L 4-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR22$2,591
2.5L 4-cyl, 4-spd manualREGULAR21$2,714
2.5L 4-cyl, 4-spd manualREGULAR21$2,714
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR19$3,000
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR19$3,000
2.8L 6-cyl, 5-spd manualREGULAR18$3,167
2.8L 6-cyl, 5-spd manualREGULAR18$3,167
5.0L 8-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR17$3,353
5.0L 8-cyl, Automatic 4-spdREGULAR17$3,353
5.0L 8-cyl, 5-spd manualREGULAR15$3,800
5.0L 8-cyl, 5-spd manualREGULAR15$3,800

1984 Pontiac Firebird specs

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

Engine options2.5L 4-cyl · 2.8L 6-cyl · 5.0L 8-cyl
Transmission5-spd manual · Automatic 4-spd · 4-spd manual
EPA body classSubcompact Cars
FuelRegular

Other years of the Pontiac Firebird

2002 Pontiac Firebird1986 Pontiac Firebird1985 Pontiac Firebird

Similar cars (Subcompact Cars)

1984 Volkswagen Rabbit1984 Volkswagen Jetta1984 Mercedes-Benz 190 D 2.2/190 E 2.31984 Subaru Sedan1984 Pontiac 2000 Sunbird Convertible1984 Renault 18i

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

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