FuelFacts

1989 Honda Civic Wagon MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

26–29
MPG combined (23–26 city / 29–32 hwy)
$1,966–$2,192
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1989 Honda Civic Wagon good on gas?

At up to 29 MPG combined, the 1989 Honda Civic Wagon is better than average for a Small Station Wagons — that class averages about 24.7 MPG across 1,736 EPA-tested versions, so it's a good pick on fuel 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 1989 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 $1,966/year (roughly $164/month, about $13.10 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 517 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 →

1989 Honda Civic Wagon trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
1.5L 4-cyl, 5-spd manual, FWDREGULAR29$1,966
1.5L 4-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, FWDREGULAR26$2,192

1989 Honda Civic 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 options1.5L 4-cyl
Transmission5-spd manual · Automatic 4-spd
Drive typeFWD
EPA body classSmall Station Wagons
FuelRegular

Other years of the Honda Civic Wagon

1991 Honda Civic Wagon1990 Honda Civic Wagon1988 Honda Civic Wagon1987 Honda Civic Wagon1986 Honda Civic Wagon1985 Honda Civic Wagon1984 Honda Civic Wagon

Similar cars (Small Station Wagons)

1989 Mazda 323 Wagon1989 Buick Skyhawk Wagon1989 Nissan Sentra Wagon 4WD1989 Subaru Wagon1989 Subaru Wagon 4WD Turbo1990 Dodge Colt Wagon

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

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