Average MPG by Year: Fuel Economy Trends Since 1975

01 Introduction

The U.S. new-vehicle fleet averaged 27.2 MPG in model year 2024, up from 21.0 MPG in 1984, a gain of roughly 30% over four decades. Fuel economy is one of the most important factors in determining your annual driving cost. The EPA has tracked the fuel economy of every new vehicle sold in the United States since model year 1975, publishing its findings annually in the Automotive Trends Report. This dataset provides a comprehensive picture of how the fleet has evolved over half a century.

From 1984 to model year 2024, the average real-world fuel economy of new vehicles rose from 21.0 MPG to 27.2 MPG, a gain of roughly 30%. But that progress has been far from linear. Policy changes, consumer preferences, fuel prices, and technology shifts have all shaped the trajectory.

02 Decade-by-Decade Trends

The history of U.S. fleet fuel economy divides into three distinct phases, as the EPA itself describes them: a rapid increase from 1975 to 1987, a period of slowly decreasing fuel economy through 2004, and increasing fuel economy from 2005 through the present.

The fleet average actually declined between 1988 (21.9 MPG) and 2004 (19.3 MPG), the lowest fleet average since 1980. Over a similar span, the truck-type share of production rose from 24.8% in 1985 to 44.4% in 2005 (Table 3.1), and truck-type vehicles average lower fuel economy than car-type vehicles (see Section 03). Fuel economy has increased in most years since, reaching a new high of 27.2 MPG in model year 2024 (preliminary model year 2025 data suggests a further increase to 28.1 MPG).

03 Cars vs Light Trucks

Throughout the EPA's tracking period, passenger cars have consistently achieved higher fuel economy than trucks and SUVs. The Trends Report doesn't publish a single "cars vs. trucks" MPG figure directly, but it does publish production share and real-world fuel economy for five finer vehicle types, which can be combined into a car-type and truck-type comparison.

Grouping Sedan/Wagon and Car SUV together as "car-type" (34.3% combined production share, matching Table 3.1's car share exactly) and the remaining three as "truck-type" (65.7% combined, also matching Table 3.1) and computing a production-weighted average within each group gives a car-type average of 35.3 MPG versus a truck-type average of 24.6 MPG, a gap of about 10.7 MPG, largely because car-based SUVs now post some of the best fuel economy in the entire fleet.

The persistence of this gap means that vehicle type remains one of the strongest determinants of individual fuel cost. At these production-weighted averages, a driver in a car-type vehicle spends roughly $1,123 per year on fuel versus $1,610 for a truck-type vehicle, a difference of about $487 per year at typical mileage.

04 The SUV Shift and Its Impact

Perhaps the most significant trend in the EPA data is the dramatic shift in market composition. In 1975, truck-type vehicles (SUVs, pickups, minivans/vans) accounted for just 19.3% of new-vehicle production. By 2000 that figure had passed 41%, and by model year 2024 it reached 65.7%, now the clear majority of new vehicles built. This shift has had a profound impact on the overall fleet average, since truck-type vehicles are consistently less efficient than car-type vehicles at any point in time.

Within the truck-type category, truck-based SUVs have driven most of the recent growth: at 49.6% of all new-vehicle production in model year 2024, they alone now account for roughly three-quarters of all truck-type vehicles sold. Pickups held a relatively steady 14.1% share the same year, while minivans/vans have shrunk to just 2.0%.

05 What MPG Gains Mean for Your Wallet

The improvement from 21.0 MPG (1984 fleet average) to 27.2 MPG (2024 fleet average) translates to meaningful fuel savings. At 12,000 miles per year and $3.30 per gallon, a driver in a 21.0 MPG vehicle would spend approximately $1,886 on fuel, while a driver in a 27.2 MPG vehicle would spend roughly $1,456, a savings of about $430 per year.

Importantly, fuel economy improvements yield diminishing returns per MPG gained. Going from 15 to 20 MPG saves 200 gallons per year (at 12,000 miles), but going from 30 to 35 MPG saves only 57 gallons. This means that improving the efficiency of the least efficient vehicles on the road produces the greatest fuel and cost savings.

06 Data Sources

1. EPA: "The 2025 EPA Automotive Trends Report," EPA-420-R-26-001, February 2026. epa.gov/automotive-trends
2. EIA: Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices. eia.gov