Recent fuel economy trends for new vehicles in the U.S.

Abstract

This report documents the improvements in fuel economy of new light-duty vehicles in the U.S. from 2008 to 2012. The analyses were performed both unweighted (based only on the range of vehicle models offered for sale) and weighted by sales (based on actual consumer purchases). The information is presented both in terms of miles per gallon (mpg) and gallons per 100 miles (gphm). The results show that, overall, there was an increase of 1.7 miles per gallon for newly purchased vehicles during the period examined. The report presents detailed breakdowns of fuel-economy changes by the following vehicle characteristics and subcategories: cars versus light trucks, vehicle size class, transmission type, number of engine cylinders, drive type, fuel type, and hybrid versus conventional vehicles. The report also discusses the nonlinear relationship between improvements in fuel economy and fuel saved.