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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Table 4-11: Passenger Car and Motorcycle Fuel Consumption and Travel

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 4-11: Passenger Car and Motorcycle Fuel Consumption and Travel

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Vehicles registered (thousands)                                        
Passenger cars 61,671 75,258 89,244 106,706 121,601 127,885 133,700 128,300 126,581 127,327 127,883 128,387 129,728 129,749 131,839 132,432 133,621 137,633 135,921 135,670
Motorcycles 574 1,382 2,824 4,964 5,694 5,444 4,259 4,177 4,065 3,978 3,757 3,897 3,872 3,826 3,879 4,152 4,346 4,903 5,004 5,370
Vehicle-miles traveled (millions)                                        
Passenger cars 587,000 723,000 917,000 1,034,000 1,112,000 1,247,000 1,408,000 1,358,000 1,372,000 1,375,000 1,406,000 1,438,000 1,469,854 1,502,556 1,549,577 1,569,100 1,600,287 1,628,332 (R) 1,658,474 1,660,828
Motorcycles a a 3,000 5,600 10,200 9,100 9,600 9,200 9,600 9,900 10,200 9,800 9,920 10,081 10,283 10,584 10,469 9,639 (R) 9,552 9,539
Fuel consumed (million gallons)                                        
Passenger cars 41,171 49,723 67,819 74,140 69,982 71,518 69,568 64,317 65,436 67,048 67,874 68,072 69,221 69,892 71,695 73,283 73,065 73,559 (R) 75,471 74,590
Motorcycles a a 60 113 204 182 191 184 191 198 205 196 198 202 206 212 209 193 191 191
Average miles traveled per vehicle (thousands)                                        
Passenger cars 9.5 9.6 10.3 9.7 9.1 9.8 10.5 10.6 10.8 10.8 11.0 11.2 11.3 11.6 11.8 11.8 12.0 12 12.2 12.2
Motorcycles a a 1.1 1.1 1.8 1.7 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.4 2 1.9 1.8
Average miles traveled per gallon                                        
Passenger cars 14.3 14.5 13.5 13.9 15.9 17.4 20.2 21.1 21.0 20.5 20.7 21.1 21.2 21.5 21.6 21.4 21.9 22.1 (R) 22.0 22.3
Motorcycles a a 50.0 49.6 50.0 50.0 50.3 50.0 50.3 50.0 49.8 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 49.9 50.0 50.0
Average fuel consumed per vehicle (gallons)                                        
Passenger cars 668 661 760 695 576 559 520 501 517 527 531 530 534 539 544 553 547 534 (R) 555 550
Motorcycles a a 21 23 36 33 45 44 47 50 55 50 51 53 53 51 48 39 38 36

KEY: R = revised.

a Included in passenger car.

NOTE

See table 4-12 for other 2-axle 4-tire vehicles.

SOURCES

Passenger car:

Number registered:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table MV-201.

1995-2003: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

All other categories:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A. For 1970-94, the unrevised motorcycle vehicle-miles and fuel consumed are subtracted from the combined passenger car and motorcycle vehicle-miles and fuel consumed from VM-201A.

1995-2003: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

Motorcycle:

Number registered:

1960-94: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table MV-201.

1995-2003: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

All other categories:

1970-85: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1985, table VM-201A.

1990-2003: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table VM-1.

Average miles traveled per vehicle, average miles traveled per gallon, average fuel consumed per vehicle: derived by calculation.