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1997 Land Rover Defender 90: MPG and fuel economy

The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 is rated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at 13 combined MPG, with 12 MPG in the city and 14 MPG on the highway. That lands well below the average for cars in the Special Purpose Vehicles class in the same model year.

This page collects every fuel-economy figure the EPA publishes for the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90. Below you will find the headline combined, city, and highway MPG, the estimated annual fuel cost at three different driving levels, the tailpipe CO₂ emissions, and a full breakdown of the engine and drivetrain. If you want to know whether this generation got more or less efficient over the years, the year-over-year table further down covers every model year the EPA has rated.

Key takeaways

  • Returns 23% worse combined MPG than the average car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the 1997 model year (16.9 MPG class average).
  • The most efficient car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the 1997 model year is the Toyota RAV4 2WD at 23 MPG.
  • The Land Rover Defender 90 has gained 6 MPG since its first rated model year, the 1994 Land Rover Defender 90 at 13 MPG.
  • EPA estimates this car costs around $15,750 more in fuel over five years than an average new vehicle of the same model year.
  • Requires premium gasoline, which typically adds about 40 to 60 cents per gallon to the EPA's annual fuel cost estimate.

Fuel economy at a glance

These are the EPA's official ratings for the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90. The numbers come from a standardised laboratory test cycle and are the same figures that appear on the window sticker of every new car. Real-world mileage varies with driving style, weather, fuel quality, and how heavily loaded the car is.

Combined MPG is a 55/45 weighted blend of the city and highway test cycles. The EPA uses it as the single number you can compare across the entire dataset, including hybrids and EVs (which use the equivalent MPGe figure).

Combined MPG 13 MPG
City MPG 12 MPG
Highway MPG 14 MPG
Annual fuel cost $5,300
Tailpipe CO₂ 684 g/mi
Fuel type Premium

How the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 compares

The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 returns 13 combined MPG. Cars in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the same model year average 16.9 MPG, which puts this car behind the class average by about 23%.

The most efficient car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the 1997 model year is the Toyota RAV4 2WD at 23 MPG. The bar chart below puts the Land Rover Defender 90 alongside the class best and the class average so you can see the full picture.

For broader context, the average new car of the 1997 model year (across all classes) returns 18.9 MPG. Larger vehicles pull the all-cars average down, so do not use that figure on its own to judge a small car or a hybrid. The full list of the most efficient cars of the 1997 model year is on its own page.

1997 Land Rover Defender 90
13 MPG
Class average, 1997
16.9 MPG
Class best, 1997
23 MPG
Average new car, 1997
18.9 MPG

Annual fuel cost across driving patterns

The headline annual fuel cost the EPA publishes assumes 15,000 miles of driving per year and a fuel mix of 55% city and 45% highway. The dollar figure is calculated using the EPA's current reference price for premium gasoline, which is $4.61/gallon. EPA updates that reference periodically rather than tracking live pump prices, so treat it as a window-sticker estimate rather than today's pump number.

The table below scales the EPA's number to three common driving patterns. The combined MPG and the reference fuel price stay constant, only the annual mileage changes. To get a current-prices estimate, take your local gas price and multiply by 1153.8 gallons (the car's annual consumption at the rated MPG).

Driving pattern Estimated annual fuel cost
Light driver, 7,500 miles per year $2,650
Average driver, 15,000 miles per year $5,300
Heavy driver, 25,000 miles per year $8,833

Year-over-year MPG for the Land Rover Defender 90

The EPA has rated the Land Rover Defender 90 across 10 model years, from 1994 Land Rover Defender 90 through 2026 Land Rover Defender 90. The numbers below are the best combined MPG figure the EPA published for each year, which lets you see when the car was at its most efficient and how recent generations stack up.

The 1994 Land Rover Defender 90 returned 13 MPG. The most recent 2026 Land Rover Defender 90 returns 19 MPG. That is an improvement of 6 MPG over 32 model years, the kind of gain that usually comes from smaller engines, hybrid systems, or aerodynamic redesigns.

Year Combined MPG Open year page
2026 19 MPG 2026 Land Rover Defender 90
2025 19 MPG 2025 Land Rover Defender 90
2024 19 MPG 2024 Land Rover Defender 90
2023 19 MPG 2023 Land Rover Defender 90
2022 19 MPG 2022 Land Rover Defender 90
2021 19 MPG 2021 Land Rover Defender 90
2020 19 MPG 2020 Land Rover Defender 90
1997 13 MPG this page
1995 13 MPG 1995 Land Rover Defender 90
1994 13 MPG 1994 Land Rover Defender 90

Compare against other Special Purpose Vehicles for 1997

If you are cross-shopping the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90, the most useful comparison is against the other cars in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the same model year. The list below shows the highest-MPG peers, ranked from most to least efficient. Click any of them to open its full page.

The Toyota RAV4 2WD leads this group at 23 MPG, 10 MPG ahead of the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90.

1997 Toyota RAV4 2WD
23 MPG 1997 Geo Tracker Convertible 2WD
22 MPG 1997 Geo Tracker Convertible 4x4
22 MPG 1997 Geo Tracker Van 2WD
22 MPG 1997 Geo Tracker Van 4x4
22 MPG 1997 Suzuki Sidekick 2Door 2WD
22 MPG
1997 Land Rover Defender 90
13 MPG

Specifications

The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 runs a 4-liter 8-cylinder engine paired with a automatic 4-spd, sending power through 4-wheel or all-wheel drive.

Engine, transmission, and drivetrain together drive most of the variation in fuel economy across trims. A larger engine moves the car with less effort but burns more fuel. A turbo lets a small engine punch above its weight, often without much MPG penalty. All-wheel drive adds traction and weight, and usually costs a couple of MPG compared with two-wheel drive of the same engine.

Vehicle class
Special Purpose Vehicles
Engine
4L 8-cylinder
Transmission
Automatic 4-spd
Drivetrain
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Fuel type
Premium
Annual petroleum use
22.9 barrels per year

Common questions about the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90

Quick answers to the questions people most often search for when looking up the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90.

  • Is the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 fuel efficient?
    Not particularly. The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 returns 13 combined MPG, which trails the average car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the same model year by about 23%.
  • What MPG does the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 get?
    The EPA rates the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 at 13 combined MPG, 12 MPG in city driving, and 14 MPG on the highway. Real-world numbers depend on your driving style, the weather, and how loaded the car is.
  • How much does it cost to fuel a 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 per year?
    The EPA estimates an annual fuel cost of $5,300 for the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90. That figure assumes 15,000 miles of driving per year, a 55% city and 45% highway split, and the EPA's published average fuel price for the rated fuel grade.
  • Does the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 require premium gas?
    Yes. The EPA lists the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 as requiring premium gasoline. Running it on regular can reduce performance and may affect engine warranties, so it is not a recommended way to save at the pump.
  • Has the Land Rover Defender 90 become more fuel efficient over time?
    Yes. The first EPA-rated Land Rover Defender 90, the 1994 Land Rover Defender 90, returned 13 combined MPG. The most recent 2026 Land Rover Defender 90 returns 19 MPG, an improvement of 6 MPG over the run.
  • How much CO₂ does the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 emit?
    Tailpipe CO₂ emissions are 684 g/mi. Multiplied across a typical year of driving (15,000 miles) that works out to about 10,254 kilograms of CO₂.
  • What is the difference between the city and highway MPG of the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90?
    City driving returns 12 MPG and highway driving returns 14 MPG, a gap of 2 MPG. The two figures are close enough that the car will hold its rated efficiency well across most driving patterns.
  • What engine is in the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90?
    The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 has a 4-liter 8-cylinder engine (EPA description: (FFS)).
  • What transmission and drivetrain does the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 have?
    The 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 comes with a automatic 4-spd transmission and 4-wheel or all-wheel drive. All-wheel-drive variants typically read 1 to 3 MPG lower than the front-wheel-drive equivalent of the same engine, since the extra hardware adds weight and parasitic loss.
  • How does the 1997 Land Rover Defender 90 compare to the best car in its class?
    The most efficient car in the Special Purpose Vehicles class for the 1997 model year is the Toyota RAV4 2WD at 23 combined MPG. The Land Rover Defender 90 returns 13 MPG, a gap of 10 MPG. If you are comparing on fuel economy alone, the class leader is worth a look.

Source: U.S. EPA fuel economy dataset. Annual fuel cost figures assume 15,000 miles of driving per year and a 55% city, 45% highway split. Real-world mileage varies with driving conditions, vehicle maintenance, fuel quality, and driver behaviour.