U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #227: July 29, 2002
Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT) and Age by Vehicle Type

According to the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS), the average sport utility vehicle (SUV) travels 16% more in a year than the average car. The travel of pickup trucks and cars is nearly equivalent, and vans travel 19% more than cars. The average travel of all household vehicles is 12,226 miles per year.

These differences in annual travel are due to many factors, including vehicle age, driver characteristics, number of household vehicles, and vehicle purpose. The NPTS indicates that newer vehicles are driven more than older vehicles. The average age of SUVs and vans are both well below the average age of cars, which may be one reason for the higher annual VMT.

Average Annual VMT and Vehicle Age by Vehicle Type, 1995 NPTS Graph: Average Annual VMT and Vehicle Age by Vehicle Type, 1995 NPTS. See table below for more detailed information

Supporting Information

Vehicle Type Average Annual VMT
per Vehicle		 Average Vehicle Age
(years)
Automobile 11,988 8.24
Pickup 12,064 9.65
SUV 13,853 6.56
Van* 14,256 6.68
All household vehicles 12,226 8.33

* Includes minivans.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey. Web site data queries by Stacy Davis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2002.

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