FuelFacts

2001 Lexus RX 300 MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every trim takes regular — no premium needed.

18
MPG combined (17 city / 21 hwy)
$3,167
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Regular
gas type

Is the 2001 Lexus RX 300 good on gas?

At up to 18 MPG combined, the 2001 Lexus RX 300 is worse than average for a Midsize Station Wagons — that class averages about 21.1 MPG across 609 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 2001 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 $3,167/year (roughly $264/month, about $21.11 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 833 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 →

2001 Lexus RX 300 trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
3.0L 6-cyl, Automatic 4-spd, FWDREGULAR18$3,167

2001 Lexus RX 300 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 4-spd
Drive typeFWD
EPA body classMidsize Station Wagons
FuelRegular

Other years of the Lexus RX 300

2003 Lexus RX 3002002 Lexus RX 3002000 Lexus RX 3001999 Lexus RX 300

Similar cars (Midsize Station Wagons)

2001 Ford Taurus Wagon FFV2001 Mercury Sable Wagon (FFV)2000 Nissan Altra EV2000 Saturn LW2002 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD (incl. Outback)2003 Saturn LW200

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.