2016 Kia Optima MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2016 Kia Optima gets up to 31 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 37 mpg as a hybrid, across 6 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2016 Kia Optima · 6 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

31MPG combined

28 city 37 highway

$2,100 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score8/10

1.6L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 7-speed automated manual

Best hybrid version

37MPG combined

35 city 38 highway

$1,750 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score9/10

2.4L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual

Best version saves $2,750 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 $1,750 to $2,600 a year.

Every 2016 Optima 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
2.4L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual Best EPA listing: Optima Hybrid	37 mpg	35 / 38	$1,750
2.4L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual · EX EPA listing: Optima Hybrid EX	36 mpg	35 / 38	$1,800
Gas
1.6L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 7-speed automated manual EPA listing: Optima	31 mpg	28 / 37	$2,100
2.4L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic · FE EPA listing: Optima FE	29 mpg	25 / 36	$2,250
2.4L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Optima	28 mpg	24 / 34	$2,300
2.0L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic EPA listing: Optima (also Optima FE)	25 mpg	22 / 31	$2,600

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
2.4L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual	$1,751	$146	$8,757
2.4L 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual · EX	$1,800	$150	$9,000
1.6L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 7-speed automated manual	$2,090	$174	$10,452
2.4L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic · FE	$2,234	$186	$11,172
2.4L 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic	$2,314	$193	$11,571
2.0L turbo 4-cyl · FWD · 6-speed automatic	$2,592	$216	$12,960

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

Kia Optima MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. Gas: 31 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2020). Hybrid: 37 to 42 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2020); highest in 2017.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2016: gas 31 mpg · hybrid 37 mpg

Show as a table

Kia Optima best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2016	31	37
2017	31	42
2018	31	42
2019	31	41
2020	31	42

How the 2016 Optima compares

2016 midsize sedans 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.

2016 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Chevrolet Malibu Best: hybrid	46 mpg	30 mpg	$1,400
Hyundai Sonata Best: hybrid	41 mpg	31 mpg	$1,600
Toyota Camry Best: hybrid	40 mpg	28 mpg	$1,600
Kia Optima This page Best: hybrid	37 mpg	31 mpg	$1,750
Nissan Altima Best: gas	31 mpg	31 mpg	$2,100
Honda Accord Best: gas	30 mpg	30 mpg	$2,150

2016 Optima recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 758 owner complaints for the 2016 Optima.What they cover, and crash test ratings

Questions

How much fuel does the 2016 Optima hybrid save?

Comparing two-wheel-drive versions at EPA's assumptions (15,000 miles a year, $4.32 a gallon), the hybrid costs $1,750 a year to fuel against $2,100 for the gas model: $350 a year, or $1,750 over five years.

Does the 2016 Kia Optima need premium gas?

No. EPA lists every 2016 Kia Optima version on regular gasoline.

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.