1958-1983 Land Rover Series II / III — MPG & Fuel Facts NO OFFICIAL EPA RATING

The EPA's public fuel-economy dataset only goes back to 1984 — the 1958-1983 Land Rover Series II / III predates it, so there is no government-rated MPG number for this car anywhere, including here.

Estimated 10–29 MPG combined.

No EPA data exists because Land Rover officially withdrew from the U.S. market in 1974; UK-sourced figures (originally imperial gallons, converted here) show a wide split between real-world owner reports of the 2.25L petrol engine (roughly 10-17 US mpg) and its diesel counterpart (about 22-25 US mpg), with one favorable-conditions period road test of a military-spec petrol Series III reading as high as 29 US mpg.

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.

Land Rover sold the Series II/IIA/III in the U.S. only through 1974, so essentially none of this production run was ever tested or labeled under the EPA's fuel-economy program the way contemporary Japanese and domestic cars were; any Series II/III in the U.S. today outside that window is a private or gray-market import.

UK forum consensus (LandyZone, a dedicated Land Rover enthusiast community) on the standard 2.25L petrol four describes real-world economy in the low-to-high teens (imperial gallons) in normal use, occasionally reaching into the mid-20s (imperial) with a well-tuned engine, overdrive, and highway-speed driving - roughly 10-17 US mpg typical, up to about 20 US mpg optimized. The 2.25L diesel option does meaningfully better, with owners commonly reporting 26-30 mpg imperial (about 22-25 US mpg).

A Classics World road test of a military-spec 'blue top' Series III (2286cc petrol, 70 bhp, Zenith carburettor) recorded 35 mpg imperial (about 29 US mpg) - notably higher than the forum-reported real-world range, likely reflecting a lighter military-spec vehicle and gentler test conditions rather than typical ownership use.

All figures here originate in UK imperial gallons and have been converted to US mpg (roughly x0.83) for consistency with the rest of this site; given the gap between one flattering magazine test and a much lower forum real-world consensus, treat this range as a genuine spread rather than a single expected number.

Sources: LandyZone, "Series 3 fuel economy" · Classics World, "Road Test - Series 3 Land Rover"

All classics Search Land Rover Series II / III on FuelFacts (in case a later model year is in our 1984+ EPA data)