New Light Vehicle Fuel Economy at an All-Time High
December 12, 2016
The fuel economy of new light vehicles has generally risen since 2004 and reached an all-time high of 25.6 miles per gallon in model year (MY) 2016. The production-weighted average fuel economy of three of the vehicle classes – cars, car sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and truck SUVs – had never been higher than in MY 2016. For pickups and minivans, the MY 2016 average fuel economy reached the same level as a previous high. Car SUVs experienced a 131% improvement in fuel economy from MY 1975 to 2016 – the largest improvement of any vehicle class. Overall, pickups had the smallest fuel economy improvement of the vehicle classes (60%) likely due to changes in size and power of pickups sold over the time period shown.
New Light Vehicle Fuel Economy at an All-Time High
Notes
- Model year 2016 data are preliminary.
- To see a list of vehicles in the car SUV category, see Table 4.9 in the Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 35.
- Average fuel economy is the production-weighted harmonic mean.
Source
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends Report: 1975 Through 2016, November 2016, EPA-420-R-16-010, Tables 2.1 and 3.1.