AutoSpecData

Land Rover Defender Fuel Economy (MPG)

What is the real-world gas mileage of a 2026 Land Rover Defender?

The 2026 Land Rover Defender gets up to 20 MPG combined (18 city / 22 highway) in EPA testing.

Latest model year (2026):

The Land Rover Defender gets up to 20 MPG combined (18 city / 22 highway) in the Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L trim.

Verifiedfueleconomy.gov · Verified August 11, 2026
OverviewMPGEngine SpecsFuel CostTransmissionDrivetrainVehicle ClassMaintenanceDimensionsCurb Weight

Land Rover Defender MPG — All Years

YearTrimEngineFuelCity (MPG)Hwy (MPG)Combined (MPG)
2026Config 1 of 12Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182220
2026Config 2 of 12Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2026Config 3 of 12Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline162018
2026Config 4 of 12Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline171817
2026Config 5 of 12Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline171918
2026Config 6 of 12Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182320
2026Config 7 of 12Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182220
2026Config 8 of 12Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172119
2026Config 9 of 12Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 4.4 L8 4.4LPremium Gasoline151917
2026Config 10 of 12Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141816
2026Config 11 of 12Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline151916
2026Config 12 of 12Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141916
2025Config 1 of 11Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182019
2025Config 2 of 11Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2025Config 3 of 11Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2025Config 4 of 11Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline161918
2025Config 5 of 11Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182019
2025Config 6 of 11Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2025Config 7 of 11Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182019
2025Config 8 of 11Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 4.4 L8 4.4LPremium Gasoline151917
2025Config 9 of 11Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141816
2025Config 10 of 11Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141916
2025Config 11 of 11Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline151916
2024Config 1 of 9Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182019
2024Config 2 of 9Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2024Config 3 of 9Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline161817
2024Config 4 of 9Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2024Config 5 of 9Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2024Config 6 of 9Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2024Config 7 of 9Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182220
2024Config 8 of 9Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline151916
2024Config 9 of 9Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141916
2023Config 1 of 6Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2023Config 2 of 6Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2023Config 3 of 6Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline182320
2023Config 4 of 6Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172119
2023Config 5 of 6Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141916
2023Config 6 of 6Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline151916
2022Config 1 of 5Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2022Config 2 of 5Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2022Config 3 of 5Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172219
2022Config 4 of 5Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline141916
2022Config 5 of 5Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L8 5.0LPremium Gasoline151916
2021Config 1 of 3Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2021Config 2 of 3Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2021Config 3 of 3Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172219
2020Config 1 of 3Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline172018
2020Config 2 of 3Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L4 2.0LPremium Gasoline182119
2020Config 3 of 3Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L6 3.0LPremium Gasoline172219

Data sourced from fueleconomy.gov (U.S. Department of Energy). MPG figures are EPA-tested. Fuel costs are estimates based on average fuel prices and 15,000 miles/year.

Land Rover Defender data analysis

How Land Rover Defender combined fuel economy varies

Across 49 configurations recorded for the 2020 through 2026 Land Rover Defender, combined fuel economy runs from 16 MPG to 20 MPG. The strongest figure belongs to the 2023 Land Rover Defender (Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L) at 20 MPG, and the weakest to the 2026 car (Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L) at 16 MPG — a spread of 25%. A gap that wide means the model year and configuration you buy matter more than the nameplate does: quoting a single number for the Land Rover Defender would be misleading.

What changed for 2026

Average combined fuel economy for the 2026 Land Rover Defender is 18 MPG, against 17.8 MPG for the 2025 car — it rose by 0.2 MPG. That is a real improvement, and it is the kind of change worth paying the newer-year premium for if this figure drives your decision.

How to read this Land Rover Defender data

This page lists every 2020 through 2026 Land Rover Defender record we hold for this measurement — 49 rows in total, one per configuration and model year rather than a single headline figure. Figures are published as the source agency records them: we do not round, average or interpolate missing years, and a year that is absent from the table is a year with no published measurement rather than a zero. Where a manufacturer offered several drivetrains or body styles in the same year, each appears on its own row, because those variants rarely share the same numbers.

Configurations behind these Land Rover Defender numbers

The 2020 through 2026 Land Rover Defender entries here cover the variants Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L, Auto (S8), 6 cyl, 3.0 L, Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 4.4 L and Auto (S8), 8 cyl, 5.0 L. 2026 is the busiest model year in the record with 12 separate measured configurations, which is why a single quoted combined fuel economy figure for that year is rarely the one that matches the car in front of you. Match the row to the exact drivetrain, body style and engine on the window sticker or VIN before relying on the number, and use the comparison links below to see how those same configurations line up against rival models.

Where these Land Rover Defender figures come from

Every value on this page is loaded from federal open data — EPA fuel economy submissions, NHTSA vehicle and crash-test records, and manufacturer specification filings — rather than dealer listings or copied editorial content. The Land Rover Defender record refreshes as the agencies publish, which typically means new model-year rows appear in the autumn and crash-test results follow through the model year as vehicles are tested. Because certification data is filed per configuration, treat any single headline number for this vehicle with caution: the figure that applies to a specific car depends on its engine, drivetrain, body style and model year, all of which are listed separately above. If a number here disagrees with a brochure, the brochure is usually quoting the best available configuration rather than the one being sold.

Official Factory Specs vs. AutoSpecData Expert Benchmarks

The EPA highway loop never holds interstate speed. Here is what the same engine does when you sit on the cruise control.

Cruise speedEPA highway specAutoSpecData adjusted MPGFuel you lose
60 mph23 MPG23 MPG0%
65 mph23 MPG21 MPG9%
70 mph23 MPG19.2 MPG17%
75 mph23 MPG17.6 MPG24%
80 mph23 MPG16.1 MPG30%

Our Real-World Speed MPG Adjuster re-scales the Land Rover Defender EPA highway result with a quadratic drag term (mpg = hwy ÷ (1 + k·(v² − 60²)/60²), k = 0.55 for trucks, SUVs and vans, 0.42 for cars). Wind, roof racks, and a heavy right foot make it worse, never better.

Frequently Asked Questions About Defender MPG

What is the MPG of the Land Rover Defender?

The Land Rover Defender gets up to 20 MPG combined (18 city / 22 highway) in the 2026 model year. Fuel economy varies by engine and trim — see the full table above for details.

Which Land Rover Defender trim has the best fuel economy?

The Auto (S8), 4 cyl, 2.0 L trim offers the best combined fuel economy at 20 MPG. Smaller engines and front-wheel-drive configurations typically achieve the highest MPG.

View full Land Rover Defender specs

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