How many miles per gallon does a 1981 Toyota Corolla get?
Typically around 30 miles per gallon.
The 1981 Corolla was offered in a few different trims and markets, with the United States mainly receiving a 1.6-liter inline-four that could be mated to a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. Fuel economy depended on the drivetrain, as well as condition, maintenance, tire choice, and how the car was driven. In real-world driving, highway miles per gallon tended to be higher than city miles, with most owners reporting results in the low-to-mid 30s on long trips and the mid-20s in urban use.
Model lineup and mpg ranges
Here are typical ranges by configuration for the era, based on common US-market specifications and owner reports:
- Manual transmission (5-speed) — highway: 30–34 mpg; city: 28–32 mpg
- Automatic transmission (3-speed) — highway: 28–32 mpg; city: 25–28 mpg
Note: numbers vary by engine (1.6-liter was standard in many markets), body style, and year-to-year changes. Non-US variants with smaller engines could achieve higher highway efficiency.
Market variations
Outside the United States, Corolla variants used smaller displacement engines or different tuning, which could push highway mpg into the mid-30s to 40 mpg on steady, light-throttle driving. Restored or well-maintained cars can perform closer to these figures, while older, poorly maintained examples typically fall below the ranges above.
Summary
For the 1981 Toyota Corolla in the U.S., expect roughly 28–34 mpg depending on whether it had a manual or automatic transmission, and with real-world results often clustering in the low 30s on highways and the mid-to-high 20s in city driving. Global variants varied more significantly, with some markets achieving higher efficiency thanks to smaller engines.
