1966-1977 Ford Bronco (First Generation) — MPG & Fuel Facts NO OFFICIAL EPA RATING

The EPA's public fuel-economy dataset only goes back to 1984 — the 1966-1977 Ford Bronco predates it, so there is no government-rated MPG number for this car anywhere, including here.

Estimated 9–19 MPG combined.

EPA/FEA-tested 302 V8 Broncos ranged from about 9-10 mpg on the harsher 1974 in-town-only cycle up to 16-19 mpg combined on the 1976-77 test cycle depending on manual vs. automatic transmission. The earlier 170 CID six-cylinder Bronco, tested by Car Life in 1966, measured 14.15 mpg overall, and Consumer Reports' own contemporaneous 1972 V8 test recorded 10-13 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.

The first-generation Bronco launched in 1966 with a 170 or later 200 CID inline-six, but by the time EPA testing began (model year 1974) the six had already been phased out — every EPA guide through the Bronco's 1977 finale lists only the 302 CID V8, with 3-speed manual or automatic.

For the six-cylinder era, Car Life's period road test of a 1966 Bronco wagon (170 CID six, 3-speed column-shift manual, optional 4.57 axle) measured 14.15 mpg overall — the magazine called it 'so-so' but 'economical enough' given the truck's 4x4/mountain-climbing duty cycle. Consumer Reports' own 1972 test of a 302 V8 automatic Bronco recorded 10-13 mpg, which lines up closely with the EPA automatic-transmission figures from the same engine.

EPA figures: 1976 model year, 302 V8/manual = 19 combined, automatic = 16 combined; 1977 (Bronco's final year), 302 V8/manual = 19 combined, automatic = 19 combined; the harsher 1974 in-town-only cycle recorded 10.1 (manual) and 9.4 (automatic) for the same engine — again, a methodology difference rather than a real contradiction.

Sources: EPA/FEA 1976 Gas Mileage Guide (fueleconomy.gov) · EPA/FEA 1977 Gas Mileage Guide (fueleconomy.gov) · EPA 1974 Gas Mileage Guide for Car Buyers (fueleconomy.gov) · Curbside Classic — Vintage Car Life Review: 1966 Ford Bronco · Consumer Reports — "The Ford Bronco Through the Years"

All classics Search Ford Bronco on FuelFacts (in case a later model year is in our 1984+ EPA data)