Average fuel economy for new cars in US in November unchanged from October

4 December 2014

The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in November was 25.3 mpg (9.3 l/100 km)—unchanged from the value in October, according to the monthly report from Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).

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The unchanged average fuel economy is likely a net consequence of two opposing trends: less demand for fuel efficient vehicles because of the decreasing price of gasoline, and improved fuel economy of 2015 model year vehicles compared to 2014 model year vehicles, they suggested. Overall, vehicle fuel economy is up 5.2 mpg since October 2007 (the first month of monitoring).

The University of Michigan Eco-Driving Index (EDI)—an index that estimates the average monthly emissions of greenhouse gases generated by an individual US driver—was 0.78 in September, up from 0.76 in August (the lower the value the better). This value indicates that the average new-vehicle driver produced 22% lower emissions in September than in October 2007.

The EDI takes into account both vehicle fuel economy and distance driven (the latter relying on data that are published with a two-month lag).