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

Vehicle Technologies Office

Fact #586: August 31, 2009
New Vehicle Fuel Economies by Vehicle Type

The average fuel economy for new cars climbed to over 30 miles per gallon (mpg) in 2008 while the average for new pickup trucks stayed around 20 mpg. For new vans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) the average fuel economy has noticeably increased in the last few years. These data are weighted by the number of vehicles sold.

New Vehicle Sales-Weighted Fuel Economies, 1975-2008
Graph showing the sales for new cars, vans, SUVs, and pick-ups for various years from 1975 to 2008 in relation to the fuel economies of the vehicles. For more detailed information, see the table below.

Note: Data are EPA Laboratory test values (unadjusted).

Supporting Information

Sales-Weighted Fuel Economies of New Light Vehicles, 1975-2008
Model Year Cars Pickup trucks Vans Sport Utility Vehicles
1975 15.8 14.0 13.1 13.0
1976 17.5 14.6 13.9 13.8
1977 18.3 16.0 14.7 15.1
1978 19.9 15.7 14.2 14.4
1979 20.3 15.5 13.5 12.6
1980 23.5 19.4 16.6 15.5
1981 25.1 21.0 17.5 16.8
1982 26.0 21.7 17.3 17.6
1983 25.9 22.2 17.7 19.1
1984 26.3 21.5 18.9 19.3
1985 27.0 21.4 19.5 19.8
1986 27.9 22.2 20.6 20.2
1987 28.1 22.5 20.9 20.6
1988 28.6 21.5 21.2 20.4
1989 28.1 21.2 21.1 20.0
1990 27.8 20.7 21.2 19.8
1991 28.0 21.7 21.4 20.3
1992 27.6 20.9 21.5 19.9
1993 28.2 21.1 21.9 19.9
1994 28.0 21.0 21.5 19.7
1995 28.3 20.4 21.8 19.6
1996 28.3 20.8 22.2 20.0
1997 28.4 20.4 22.1 20.1
1998 28.5 20.7 22.7 20.1
1999 28.2 19.9 22.3 20.1
2000 28.2 20.5 22.8 20.1
2001 28.4 19.6 22.1 20.8
2002 28.6 19.5 23.0 20.6
2003 28.9 19.9 23.5 20.8
2004 28.9 19.6 23.7 20.9
2005 29.5 19.7 24.0 21.6
2006 29.2 20.1 24.3 22.1
2007 30.3 20.2 24.3 22.7
2008 30.3 20.2 24.5 23.3

Note: Data are EPA Laboratory test values (unadjusted).
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2008, September 2008.

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