The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently issued new vehicle fuel economy standards that will increase economy by 2 percent annually for passenger cars for model years 2027-2031. Fuel economy will increase 2 percent annually for light trucks for model years 2029-2031.
This will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by model year 2031. The agency estimates the new standards will prevent more than 710 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 and save almost 70 billion gallons of gasoline.
“Not only will these new standards save Americans money at the pump every time they fill up, they will also decrease harmful pollution and make America less reliant on foreign oil,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “These standards will save car owners more than $600 in gasoline costs over the lifetime of their vehicle.”
For heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans, fuel efficiency will increase 10 percent annually for model years 2030-2032 and 8 percent annually for model years 2033-2035. By model year 2035, this will bring fuel economy to approximately 35 miles per gallon and will save owners more than $700 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.