FuelFacts

1990 Geo Metro MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

33–41
MPG combined (31–38 city / 36–45 hwy)
$1,390–$1,727
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 1990 Geo Metro good on gas?

At up to 41 MPG combined, the 1990 Geo Metro is better than average for a Subcompact Cars — that class averages about 22.8 MPG across 5,756 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 1990 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 $1,390/year (roughly $116/month, about $9.27 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 366 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 →

1990 Geo Metro trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
1.0L 3-cyl, 5-spd manual, FWDREGULAR41$1,390
1.0L 3-cyl, Automatic 3-spd, FWDREGULAR33$1,727

1990 Geo Metro specs

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

Engine options1.0L 3-cyl
Transmission5-spd manual · Automatic 3-spd
Drive typeFWD
EPA body classSubcompact Cars
FuelRegular

Other years of the Geo Metro

1997 Geo Metro1996 Geo Metro1995 Geo Metro1994 Geo Metro1993 Geo Metro1992 Geo Metro1991 Geo Metro1989 Geo Metro

Similar cars (Subcompact Cars)

1990 Chevrolet Turbo Sprint1990 Pontiac Turbo Firefly1990 Mitsubishi Precis1990 Nissan Sentra Coupe1990 Nissan Pulsar NX1990 Dodge Omni

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.