Slide 11 of 30
- The average annual rate of increase in the miles per gallon (mpg) rating for automobiles is 2.7 percent.
- From 1975 to 1996, the average annual increase in the mpg rating for automobiles and light trucks is 2.3 percent. (Light trucks includes minivans, sport utility vehicles and small pickup trucks.)
- In 1975, Congress authorized the Department of Transportation to set and enforce automobile efficiency standards (CAFE: Corporate Average Fuel Economy). The miles per gallon rating for new automobiles increased steadily from 1975 through 1988.
- After 1988, new automobile operating efficiency leveled off at about 28.5 mpg.
- Today, CAFE standards are 27.5 mpg for passenger cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks.
- From the late 1980's to present, light trucks gained market share and began to slowly pull the mpg-combined-average rating below the 1987 peak.
Source: Environmental Protection Agency, Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends Through 1996, EPA/AA/TDSG/96-01, (Ann Arbor MI-August 1996), Table 1.
