1955-1957 Chevrolet Bel Air — MPG & Fuel Facts NO OFFICIAL EPA RATING

The EPA's public fuel-economy dataset only goes back to 1984 — the 1955-1957 Chevrolet Bel Air predates it, so there is no government-rated MPG number for this car anywhere, including here.

Estimated 10–20 MPG combined.

No period magazine road test, Mobilgas Economy Run result, or Hagerty/Hemmings article stating an MPG figure could be located for the Tri-Five Bel Air despite dedicated searching; the range instead reflects modern aggregated owner-logged data (Fuelly) and converging Tri-Five owner-forum reports, not a period-verified test.

This is our estimate, not an EPA rating — built from the period road tests, marque-specialist guides and corroborated owner reports cited below, hedged where sources vary. Treat it as a ballpark for planning, not a spec to rely on.

Tri-Five Bel Airs offered the 235ci 'Blue Flame' inline-six (123-136 hp) alongside 265ci and 283ci 'Turbo-Fire' V8s (up to 245 hp with the 4-barrel 'Power Pack' or fuel-injected Corvette-spec engines), paired with 3-speed manual (with optional overdrive) or 2-speed Powerglide automatic.

The inline-six with overdrive is consistently reported at the higher end of the range (roughly 14-20 mpg, best on the highway); the V8s, especially with Powerglide and in city driving, trend toward 10-13 mpg, with the higher-output 4-barrel and dual-exhaust engines pulling toward the bottom.

This is the weakest-sourced entry in this batch: no Motor Trend/Car Life road test, Consumer Reports figure, or Hagerty/Hemmings buying-guide MPG statement turned up in searching, and Wikipedia's Bel Air article contains no fuel-economy data at all. The numbers here should be presented to readers as modern-owner-estimate territory, not a period-verified figure.

Sources: Fuelly, Chevrolet Bel Air owner-logged data (aggregate and 1955) · Chevy Tri Five Forum, "What is the mpg for a 57 Chevy?"

All classics Search Chevrolet Bel Air on FuelFacts (in case a later model year is in our 1984+ EPA data)