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

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

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	1980	1985	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
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	(R) 22.2	22.4	U	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	(R) 16.2	16.2	U	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	(R) 29.5	(R) 29.1	30.0	U
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	(R) 29.1	29.3	30.0	U
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	(R) 29.9	(R) 28.7	29.9	U
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	(R) 21.8	21.5	21.8	U
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
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

KEY: CAFE = Corporate Average Fuel Economy; GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating; mpg = miles per gallon; R = revised.

^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).

1995-2004: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

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

1980-2006: 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/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20Safety/Articles/Associated%20Files/SummaryFuelEconomyPerformance-2005.pdf as of Dec. 20, 2005.