BTS | Table 4-23: Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) - Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) - United States Department of Transportation (USDOT, US DOT or DOT)

ABOUT RITA | CONTACT US | PRESS ROOM | CAREERS | SITE MAP

Data and Statistics

Bookstore

Programs

About BTS

Upcoming Press Releases

External Links

BTS Home > Publications > National Transportation Statistics

Table 4-23: Average Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

Excel | CSV

	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Average U.S. passenger car fuel efficiency (mpg) (calendar year)
Passenger car^a	16.0	17.5	20.3	21.2	21.0	20.6	20.8	21.1	21.2	21.5	21.6	21.4	21.9	22.1	22.0	22.2	22.5	(R) 22.1	22.4	U
Other 2-axle 4-tire vehicle	12.2	14.3	16.1	17.0	17.3	17.4	17.3	17.3	17.2	17.2	17.2	17.0	17.4	17.6	17.5	16.2	16.2	(R) 17.7	18.0	U
New vehicle fuel efficiency (mpg)^b (model year)
Light-duty vehicle
Passenger car	24.3	27.6	28.0	28.4	27.9	28.4	28.3	28.6	28.5	28.7	28.8	28.3	28.5	28.8	29.0	29.5	(R) 29.5	(R) 30.3	30.2	31.3
Domestic	22.6	26.3	26.9	27.3	27.0	27.8	27.5	27.7	28.1	27.8	28.6	28.0	28.7	28.7	29.1	29.1	(R) 29.9	(R) 30.5	30.4	30.7
Imported	29.6	31.5	29.9	30.1	29.2	29.6	29.7	30.3	29.6	30.1	29.2	29.0	28.3	29.0	28.8	29.9	(R) 28.7	(R) 29.9	29.7	32.1
Light truck (<8,500 lbs GVWR)^c	18.5	20.7	20.8	21.3	20.8	21.0	20.8	20.5	20.8	20.6	21.0	20.9	21.3	20.9	21.4	21.8	(R) 21.5	(R) 22.1	22.5	23.1
CAFE standards (mpg)^b (model year)
Passenger car	20.0	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5	27.5
Light truck	^d16.0/14.0	19.5	20.0	20.2	20.2	20.4	20.5	20.6	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.7	20.7	21.0	21.6	22.2

KEY: CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy; GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating; mpg = miles per gallon; R = revised; U = data are not available.

^a From 1980 to 1994, passenger car fuel efficiency includes motorcycles.

^bAssumes 55% city and 45% highway-miles. The source calculated average miles per gallon for light-duty vehicles by taking the reciprocal of the sales-weighted average of gallons per mile. This is called the harmonic average.

^cBeginning with FY 1999, the total light truck fleet ceased to be categorized by either domestic or import fleets.

^d 2 Wheel Drive/4 Wheel Drive. No combined figure available for this year.

NOTE

The fuel efficiency figures for light duty vehicles represent the sales-weighted harmonic average of the combined passenger car and light truck fuel economies.

SOURCES

Average U.S. passenger car fuel efficiency:

1980-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A (Revised data obtained from Internet site http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/ohimstat.htm as of Aug. 2, 2001).

1995-2006: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

New vehicle fuel efficiency (based on model year production) and CAFE standards:

1980-2007: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Summary of Fuel Economy Performance (Washington, DC: 2005), Internet site http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.43ac99aefa80569eea57529cdba046a0/ as of Mar. 3, 2008.