FuelFacts

1986 Pontiac 6000 MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

18–23
MPG combined (16–19 city / 22–29 hwy)
$2,478–$3,167
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1986 Pontiac 6000 good on gas?

At up to 23 MPG combined, the 1986 Pontiac 6000 is about average for a Midsize Cars — that class averages about 23.0 MPG across 5,710 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 1986 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 →

1986 Pontiac 6000 trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
2.5L 4-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, FWDREGULAR23$2,478
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, FWDREGULAR20$2,850
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, FWDREGULAR19$3,000
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, FWDREGULAR19$3,000
2.8L 6-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, FWDREGULAR18$3,167

1986 Pontiac 6000 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
TransmissionAutomatic 3-spd · Automatic 4-spd
Drive typeFWD
EPA body classMidsize Cars
FuelRegular

Other years of the Pontiac 6000

1991 Pontiac 60001990 Pontiac 60001989 Pontiac 60001988 Pontiac 60001987 Pontiac 60001985 Pontiac 60001984 Pontiac 6000

Similar cars (Midsize Cars)

1986 Ford LTD1986 Mercury Marquis1986 Chrysler Limousine1986 Pontiac Bonneville1986 Texas Coach Company 500SE1986 Texas Coach Company 500SEL

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

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