2021 Chevrolet Tahoe MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe gets up to 18 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 24 mpg with the diesel, across 10 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe · 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 · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop

Best diesel version

24MPG combined

21 city 28 highway

$3,950 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 $8,750 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.

One of the Tahoe years to avoid

The 2021 drew 120 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 46 for a typical Tahoe year: 2.6 times as many.

Years to avoid: 2015, 2021, and 2023; best year: 2018. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.

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

Every 2021 Tahoe 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 · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 4WD	18 mpg	16 / 20	$3,450
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 2WD	18 mpg	16 / 20	$3,450
5.3L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 4WD	17 mpg	15 / 20	$3,650
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 2WD	17 mpg	15 / 20	$3,650
6.2L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 2WD · Premium fuel	17 mpg	15 / 20	$4,550
6.2L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 4WD · Premium fuel	16 mpg	14 / 19	$4,850
6.2L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 4WD · Premium fuel	16 mpg	13 / 19	$4,850
6.2L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · no start-stop EPA listing: Tahoe 2WD · Premium fuel	16 mpg	14 / 20	$4,850
Diesel
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · RWD · 10-speed automatic Best EPA listing: Tahoe 2WD	24 mpg	21 / 28	$3,950
3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel · 4WD · 10-speed automatic EPA listing: Tahoe 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 · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$3,333	$278	$16,667
5.3L 8-cyl · RWD · 10-speed automatic · auto start-stop	$3,333	$278	$16,667
5.3L 8-cyl · 4WD · 10-speed automatic · no 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
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	$3,831	$319	$19,156
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 Tahoe 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. Hybrid: 21 to 22 mpg (2010 to 2013); highest in 2010.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2021: gas 18 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

Chevrolet Tahoe best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	17	22
2011	17	21
2012	17	21
2013	17	21
2014	17	–
2015	18	–
2016	19	–
2017	19	–
2018	19	–
2019	18	–
2020	18	–
2021	18	–
2022	17	–
2023	17	–
2024	17	–
2025	17	–
2026	17	–

Every Tahoe year's ratings in one table

How the 2021 Tahoe 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 This page Best: diesel	24 mpg	18 mpg	$3,450
Chevrolet Suburban 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

2021 Tahoe recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 16 safety recalls and 467 owner complaints for the 2021 Tahoe.

Owners most often describe loss of power (79 complaints, 17%), then stalling (78). NHTSA's overall crash rating: 4 stars.

See the 2021 Tahoe recalls and problems

Questions

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

Sometimes. On versions that differ only in drive, the gap ranges from 0 to 2 mpg combined: the 3.0L turbo 6-cyl diesel gets 24 mpg combined with two-wheel drive and 22 with 4WD.

Does the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe 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 Tahoe'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.