2021 Chevrolet Suburban MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2021 Chevrolet Suburban gets up to 18 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 23 mpg with the diesel, across 10 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2021 Chevrolet Suburban · 10 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

18MPG combined

16 city 20 highway

$3,450 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.00 a gallon (regular gas)

Fuel economy score3/10

5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop

Best diesel version

23MPG combined

21 city 27 highway

$4,100 a year to fuel15,000 miles a year at EPA's $6.13 a gallon (diesel)

Fuel economy score5/10

3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 10-speed automatic

Best version costs $9,500 more in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Nov 12, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $3,450 to $4,850 a year. New for 2021: a diesel version.

More complaints than a typical Suburban year

The 2021 drew 45 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 32 for a typical Suburban year.

Years to avoid: 2015 and 2023. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

Every Suburban year ranked The 2021 Suburban's recalls and problems

Every 2021 Suburban 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
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 2WD	18 mpg	16 / 20	$3,450
5.3L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 4WD	17 mpg	15 / 19	$3,650
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 2WD	17 mpg	15 / 20	$3,650
6.2L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 2WD · Premium fuel	17 mpg	15 / 20	$4,550
5.3L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 4WD	16 mpg	15 / 19	$3,900
6.2L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 4WD · Premium fuel	16 mpg	14 / 19	$4,850
6.2L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 4WD · Premium fuel	16 mpg	13 / 19	$4,850
6.2L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Suburban 2WD · Premium fuel	16 mpg	14 / 20	$4,850
Diesel
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 10-speed automatic Best EPA listing: Suburban 2WD	23 mpg	21 / 27	$4,100
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · 4WD · 10-speed automatic EPA listing: Suburban 4WD	22 mpg	20 / 26	$4,300

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.00 a gallon for regular gas, $5.01 a gallon for premium gas, and $6.13 a gallon for diesel. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$3,333	$278	$16,667
5.3L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$3,529	$294	$17,647
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$3,529	$294	$17,647
6.2L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$4,421	$368	$22,103
5.3L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$3,750	$313	$18,750
6.2L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$4,697	$391	$23,484
6.2L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$4,697	$391	$23,484
6.2L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop	$4,697	$391	$23,484
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 10-speed automatic	$3,998	$333	$19,989
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · 4WD · 10-speed automatic	$4,180	$348	$20,898

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

Chevrolet Suburban MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 17 to 19 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2016. Diesel: 23 mpg (2021 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2021: gas 18 mpg · diesel 23 mpg

Show as a table

Chevrolet Suburban best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2010	17	–
2011	17	–
2012	17	–
2013	17	–
2014	17	–
2015	18	–
2016	19	–
2017	19	–
2018	19	–
2019	18	–
2020	18	–
2021	18	23
2022	17	23
2023	17	23
2024	17	23
2025	17	23
2026	17	23

Every Suburban year's ratings in one table

How the 2021 Suburban compares

2021 full-size 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.

2021 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Chevrolet Tahoe Best: diesel	24 mpg	18 mpg	$3,450
Chevrolet Suburban This page Best: diesel	23 mpg	18 mpg	$3,450
GMC Yukon Best: diesel	23 mpg	18 mpg	$3,450
Ford Expedition Best: gas	19 mpg	19 mpg	$3,300
Toyota Sequoia Best: gas	15 mpg	15 mpg	$4,150

Chevrolet Tahoe vs Chevrolet SuburbanMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests side by side

2021 Suburban recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 12 safety recalls and 209 owner complaints for the 2021 Suburban.

Owners most often describe engine failure (46 complaints, 22%), then the check engine light (37). NHTSA's overall crash rating: 4 stars.

See the 2021 Suburban recalls and problems

Questions

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

Sometimes. On versions that differ only in drive, the gap ranges from 0 to 1 mpg combined: the 3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel gets 23 mpg combined with two-wheel drive and 22 with 4WD.

Does the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban need premium gas?

Some versions do. EPA lists the 6.2L 8-cyl versions on premium, the diesel runs on diesel fuel, and the rest use regular.

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

For 2021, the best gas version is rated 18 mpg, the same as the year before.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.00, midgrade $4.61, premium $5.01, diesel $6.13 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and complaint file dated Nov 11, 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.