2023 Ford Explorer MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2023 Ford Explorer gets up to 24 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 27 mpg as a hybrid, across 14 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2023 Ford Explorer · 14 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

24MPG combined

21 city 28 highway

$2,700 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score5/10

2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop

Best hybrid version

27MPG combined

27 city 28 highway

$2,400 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score5/10

3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · RWD · 10-speed automatic

Best version costs $500 more in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Fuel cost: 15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.32 a gallon (regular gas).

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

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $2,400 to $3,250 a year. Ratings for the best versions are unchanged from 2022.

Every 2023 Explorer 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
Hybrid
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · RWD · 10-speed automatic Best EPA listing: Explorer HEV RWD	27 mpg	27 / 28	$2,400
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · RWD · 10-speed automatic · Platinum EPA listing: Explorer Platinum HEV RWD	26 mpg	25 / 26	$2,500
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic EPA listing: Explorer HEV AWD	25 mpg	23 / 26	$2,600
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · Platinum EPA listing: Explorer Platinum HEV AWD	23 mpg	23 / 24	$2,800
Gas
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Explorer RWD	24 mpg	21 / 28	$2,700
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Explorer AWD	23 mpg	20 / 27	$2,800
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Explorer RWD	23 mpg	20 / 28	$2,800
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Explorer AWD	22 mpg	20 / 26	$2,950
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · Timberline · auto start-stop EPA listing: Explorer Timberline AWD	21 mpg	19 / 22	$3,100
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · rated 21 mpg EPA listing: Explorer RWD	21 mpg	18 / 26	$3,100
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · Timberline · no start-stop EPA listing: Explorer Timberline AWD	20 mpg	19 / 21	$3,250
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Explorer AWD (also Explorer AWD)	20 mpg	18 / 24	$3,250
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Explorer AWD (also Explorer AWD)	20 mpg	17 / 24	$3,250
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · rated 20 mpg EPA listing: Explorer RWD	20 mpg	18 / 25	$3,250

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. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · RWD · 10-speed automatic	$2,400	$200	$12,000
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · RWD · 10-speed automatic · Platinum	$2,492	$208	$12,462
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic	$2,592	$216	$12,960
3.3L 6-cyl hybrid · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · Platinum	$2,817	$235	$14,087
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$2,700	$225	$13,500
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$2,817	$235	$14,087
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$2,817	$235	$14,087
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$2,945	$245	$14,727
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · Timberline · auto start-stop	$3,086	$257	$15,429
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · rated 21 mpg	$3,086	$257	$15,429
2.3L turbo 4-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · Timberline · no start-stop	$3,240	$270	$16,200
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$3,240	$270	$16,200
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · Part-time 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$3,240	$270	$16,200
3.0L turbo 6-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · rated 20 mpg	$3,240	$270	$16,200

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

Ford Explorer MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 22 to 24 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2026); 24 since 2020. Hybrid: 27 to 28 mpg (2020 to 2023); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2023: gas 24 mpg · hybrid 27 mpg

Show as a table

Ford Explorer best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2016	22	–
2017	22	–
2018	22	–
2019	22	–
2020	24	28
2021	24	27
2022	24	27
2023	24	27
2024	24	–
2025	24	–
2026	24	–

How the 2023 Explorer compares

2023 midsize SUVs 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.

2023 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Toyota Highlander Best: hybrid	36 mpg	25 mpg	$1,800
Ford Explorer This page Best: hybrid	27 mpg	24 mpg	$2,400
Kia Telluride Best: gas	23 mpg	23 mpg	$2,800
Jeep Grand Cherokee Best: gas	22 mpg	22 mpg	$2,950

Ford Explorer vs Toyota HighlanderMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests side by side

2023 Explorer recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 15 safety recalls and 110 owner complaints for the 2023 Explorer.What they cover, and crash test ratings

Questions

Does 4WD lower the 2023 Ford Explorer's gas mileage?

Yes. On versions that differ only in drive, 4WD lowers the combined rating by 1 to 3 mpg: the 3.3L 6-cyl hybrid gets 27 mpg combined with two-wheel drive and 25 with 4WD.

How much fuel does the 2023 Explorer hybrid save?

Comparing AWD or 4WD versions at EPA's assumptions (15,000 miles a year, $4.32 a gallon), the hybrid costs $2,600 a year to fuel against $2,800 for the gas model: $200 a year, or $1,000 over five years.

Does the 2023 Ford Explorer need premium gas?

No. EPA lists every 2023 Ford Explorer version on regular gasoline.

How does the 2023 Explorer's MPG compare with the 2022?

For 2023, the best gas version is rated 24 mpg, the same as the year before and the best hybrid version is rated 27 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.