FuelFacts

1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SL MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every gas trim of this model takes premium.

16–17
MPG combined (14 city / 21 hwy)
$4,129–$4,388
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Premium
gas type

Is the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SL good on gas?

At up to 17 MPG combined, the 1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SL is worse than average for a Two Seaters — that class averages about 19.4 MPG across 2,500 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 1993 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 — $4.68/gal for premium gas as of 2026-07-05 — the most efficient trim runs about $4,129/year (roughly $344/month, about $27.53 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 →

1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SL trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
3.0L 6-cyl, Automatic 5-spd, RWDPREMIUM17$4,129
3.0L 6-cyl, 5-spd manual, RWDPREMIUM16$4,388
Where the EPA lists premium, that’s the fuel the maker specified for the mileage test — many such engines run on regular with slightly less power/MPG. Whether premium is required or just recommended is an owner’s-manual detail the EPA dataset omits, so we don’t guess it.

1993 Mercedes-Benz 300SL specs

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

Engine options3.0L 6-cyl
TransmissionAutomatic 5-spd · 5-spd manual
Drive typeRWD
EPA body classTwo Seaters
FuelPremium
Gas guzzler taxYes — at least one trim carried the federal guzzler tax

Other years of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL

1992 Mercedes-Benz 300SL1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL1990 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

Similar cars (Two Seaters)

1993 Geo Metro LSI Convertible1993 Lotus Elan1993 Autokraft Limited A.C.MARK IV1993 Mercedes-Benz 500SL1993 Cadillac Allante1993 J.K. Motors 300SL

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.