- From 2016 to 2022, battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) were driven far fewer miles per year than gasoline vehicles—as little as 55% of the gasoline-vehicle average in 2018.
- That gap has closed and reversed: by 2023 and 2024, BEVs were driven slightly more miles per year than gasoline vehicles (103–105% of the gasoline average).
- Hybrid vehicles were driven the most of any powertrain in every single year measured, 2016–2024—consistently 7–22% more miles per year than gasoline vehicles.
- Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) drove consistently fewer miles than gasoline vehicles throughout the period, while diesel vehicles consistently drove more, likely reflecting more commercial and high-mileage use.
See how your own annual mileage affects your vehicle's true fuel cost.
Use the Calculator01 The Question Everyone Asks
Do people who buy electric vehicles actually drive them as much as a normal car? It's a natural question—range anxiety, charging time, and using an EV as a "second car" are all common concerns, and each would predict lower annual mileage for EVs than for gasoline vehicles. The EIA's Monthly Energy Review publishes exactly this figure every year: average annual miles traveled per vehicle, broken out by powertrain technology. Nine years of data (2016–2024) show a real answer—and a genuine change in that answer over time.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9: Light-Duty Vehicle Average Miles Traveled by Technology Type02 How We Measured It
EIA's Table 1.9 reports average annual miles per vehicle for five light-duty powertrain categories: gasoline, diesel, hybrid-electric, battery-electric (BEV), and plug-in hybrid-electric (PHEV). We compare each powertrain to gasoline vehicles in the same year, since that avoids conflating any single year's unusual conditions with a powertrain-specific effect.
Calculated from EIA Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9, 2016–202403 2016–2022: EVs Drove Far Fewer Miles
For seven straight years, battery-electric vehicles were driven substantially less than gasoline vehicles. The gap was widest in 2018, when the average BEV logged just 5,594 miles—only 55% of the 10,217 miles the average gasoline vehicle traveled that year. Even in the "best" year of this stretch, 2022, BEVs still trailed gasoline vehicles by nearly 30%.
Calculated from EIA Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9, 2018 and 2022 rows| Year | Gasoline | BEV | BEV as % of Gasoline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9,946 | 6,782 | 68.2% |
| 2017 | 10,070 | 6,055 | 60.1% |
| 2018 | 10,217 | 5,594 | 54.7% |
| 2019 | 9,883 | 6,028 | 61.0% |
| 2020 | 10,135 | 6,682 | 65.9% |
| 2021 | 9,892 | 6,570 | 66.4% |
| 2022 | 9,846 | 7,070 | 71.8% |
This pattern is consistent with EVs from this era being used more often as a second or supplemental household vehicle, plus real range and charging-access constraints for longer trips during the earlier years of EV adoption.
04 2023–2024: EVs Have Caught Up
Starting in 2023, the pattern flipped. BEVs were driven 13,070 miles in 2023 against 12,492 for gasoline vehicles—104.6% of the gasoline average—and stayed slightly ahead in 2024 (103.1%). This is the first time in the nine-year series that the average EV was driven as many or more miles than the average gas car.
Calculated from EIA Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9, 2023 and 2024 rowsAs discussed above, part of this shift may reflect a 2023 methodology change common to all five powertrains rather than a pure behavior change. But the underlying story is plausible on its own: EV range has grown substantially since 2018, charging infrastructure has expanded (see our EV charging infrastructure growth analysis), and EVs are increasingly bought as a primary household vehicle rather than a second car—all of which would push EV mileage up toward, and eventually past, the gasoline-vehicle average.
Cross-reference to ev-charging-infrastructure-growth.html; this paragraph is our own interpretation of the pattern, not a separately published government findingCurious what an EV would actually cost you per mile?
Read: EV vs Gas Car Fuel Cost05 Hybrids Are the Real Mileage Champions
While the EV story gets the attention, hybrid-electric vehicles quietly logged the most miles of any powertrain in every single year from 2016 to 2024—consistently 7% to 22% more than gasoline vehicles. In 2016, the average hybrid traveled 12,161 miles against 9,946 for gasoline (22.3% more); by 2024, hybrids still led at 14,469 miles against 12,451 (16.2% more).
Calculated from EIA Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9, 2016 and 2024 rowsPlug-in hybrids and diesel vehicles show more stable, opposite patterns: PHEVs consistently trailed gasoline vehicles (87.7% to 101.5% of the gasoline average across all nine years), while diesel vehicles consistently exceeded it (99.0% to 111.7%), a pattern likely driven by diesel's popularity in commercial, towing, and other high-mileage use cases.
Calculated from EIA Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9, full 2016–2024 series06 Data Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration: Monthly Energy Review, Table 1.9, "Light-Duty Vehicle Average Miles Traveled by Technology Type," 2016–2024. eia.gov