FuelFacts

1987 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

17
MPG combined (15 city / 22 hwy)
$3,353
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon good on gas?

At up to 17 MPG combined, the 1987 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon is worse than average for a Midsize-Large Station Wagons — that class averages about 19.8 MPG across 656 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 1987 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 $3,353/year (roughly $279/month, about $22.35 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 882 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 →

1987 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
5.0L 8-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, RWDREGULAR17$3,353

1987 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon specs

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

Engine options5.0L 8-cyl
TransmissionAutomatic 4-spd
Drive typeRWD
EPA body classMidsize-Large Station Wagons
FuelRegular

Other years of the Chevrolet Caprice Wagon

1992 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1991 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1990 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1989 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1988 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1986 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1985 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon1984 Chevrolet Caprice Wagon

Similar cars (Midsize-Large Station Wagons)

1987 Mercedes-Benz 300TD1987 Mcevoy Motors 740 GLE Wagon1987 Ford Taurus Wagon 3.0 A/C1987 Mercury Sable Wagon 3.0 A/C1987 Toyota Cressida Wagon1988 Dodge Aries Wagon

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

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