2021 Chevrolet Colorado MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2021 Chevrolet Colorado gets up to 22 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 23 mpg with the diesel, across 8 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2021 Chevrolet Colorado · 8 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

22MPG combined

19 city 25 highway

$2,950 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.32 a gallon (regular gas)

Fuel economy score4/10

2.5L 4-cyl · RWD · 6-speed automatic

Best diesel version

23MPG combined

20 city 30 highway

$4,100 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $6.29 a gallon (diesel)

Fuel economy score5/10

2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · RWD · 6-speed automatic

Best version costs $9,000 more in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Sep 27, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $2,950 to $4,950 a year. Ratings for the best versions are unchanged from 2020.

Every 2021 Colorado version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
Gas
2.5L 4-cyl · RWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Colorado 2WD	22 mpg	19 / 25	$2,950
2.5L 4-cyl · 4WD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Colorado 4WD	21 mpg	19 / 24	$3,100
3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: Colorado 2WD	21 mpg	18 / 25	$3,100
3.6L 6-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: Colorado 4WD	19 mpg	17 / 24	$3,400
3.6L 6-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic · ZR2 EPA listing: Colorado ZR2 4WD	17 mpg	16 / 18	$3,800
Diesel
2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · RWD · 6-speed automatic Best EPA listing: Colorado 2WD	23 mpg	20 / 30	$4,100
2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · 4WD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Colorado 4WD	22 mpg	19 / 28	$4,300
2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · 4WD · 6-speed automatic · ZR2 EPA listing: Colorado ZR2 4WD	19 mpg	18 / 22	$4,950

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.32 a gallon for regular gas and $6.29 a gallon for diesel. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
2.5L 4-cyl · RWD · 6-speed automatic	$2,945	$245	$14,727
2.5L 4-cyl · 4WD · 6-speed automatic	$3,086	$257	$15,429
3.6L 6-cyl · RWD · 8-speed automatic	$3,086	$257	$15,429
3.6L 6-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic	$3,411	$284	$17,053
3.6L 6-cyl · 4WD · 8-speed automatic · ZR2	$3,812	$318	$19,059
2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · RWD · 6-speed automatic	$4,102	$342	$20,511
2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · 4WD · 6-speed automatic	$4,289	$357	$21,443
2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel · 4WD · 6-speed automatic · ZR2	$4,966	$414	$24,829

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50.

Chevrolet Colorado MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 20 to 22 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2026); highest in 2016. Diesel: 23 to 25 mpg (2016 to 2022); highest in 2016.

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2021: gas 22 mpg · diesel 23 mpg

Show as a table

Chevrolet Colorado best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2016	22	25
2017	22	25
2018	22	25
2019	22	23
2020	22	23
2021	22	23
2022	22	23
2023	22	–
2024	22	–
2025	20	–
2026	21	–

How the 2021 Colorado compares

2021 midsize pickups covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2021 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Jeep Gladiator Best: diesel	24 mpg	19 mpg	$3,400
Chevrolet Colorado This page Best: diesel	23 mpg	22 mpg	$2,950
Ford Ranger Best: gas	23 mpg	23 mpg	$2,800
Toyota Tacoma Best: gas	21 mpg	21 mpg	$3,100
Honda Ridgeline Best: gas	21 mpg	21 mpg	$3,100
Nissan Frontier Best: gas	20 mpg	20 mpg	$3,250

Chevrolet Colorado vs Toyota TacomaMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests side by side

2021 Colorado recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 75 owner complaints for the 2021 Colorado.What they cover, and crash test ratings

Questions

Does 4WD lower the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado's gas mileage?

Yes. On versions that differ only in drive, 4WD lowers the combined rating by 1 to 2 mpg: the 2.8L turbo 4-cyl diesel gets 23 mpg combined with two-wheel drive and 22 with 4WD.

Does the 2021 Chevrolet Colorado need premium gas?

No. The diesel runs on diesel fuel, the rest use regular.

How does the 2021 Colorado's MPG compare with the 2020?

For 2021, the best gas version is rated 22 mpg, the same as the year before and the best diesel version is rated 23 mpg, the same as the year before.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.32, midgrade $4.93, premium $5.32, diesel $6.29 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.