Cars will need to average 50.4 miles per gallon by the 2031 model year, under new rules the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized Friday. Fuel economy will need to increase 2% annually starting with the 2027 model year for passenger cars and with the 2029 model year for light trucks.

What You Need To Know

  • Cars will need to average 50.4 miles per gallon by the 2031 model year, under new rules the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration finalized Friday

  • Fuel economy will need to increase 2% annually starting with the 2027 model year for passenger cars and with the 2029 model year for light trucks

  • The average real-world fuel economy for a new light-duty vehicle in 2022 was 26 mpg

  • The NHTSA standard complements new rules finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency this year that will require 68% of new light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. to be zero-emissions by 2032

NHTSA estimates the change will save car and light truck drivers more than $600 in fuel over their vehicles’ lifetimes.

“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 in a statement.

The new rules are expected to save about 70 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050 and prevent more than 710 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.

The agency also significantly increased mandatory fuel economy for heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans. They will need to increase 10% annually starting with the 2030 model year through 2032 and increase 8% annually for model years 2033 through 2035 for an average of 35 miles per gallon.

NHTSA estimates the heavy-duty fuel economy standard will save owners more than $700 in fuel over their vehicles’ lifetimes.

When Congress first established what’s known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFÉ, program in the 1970s, the average fuel economy was 13 miles per gallon. In 2022, the average real-world fuel economy for a new light-duty vehicle was 26 mpg, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

NHTSA said its new fuel economy standards are a complement to new emissions standards the Environmental Protection Agency finalized in March for 2027-2032 model year passenger vehicles. To meet those requirements, 68% of all new light-duty vehicles sold will need to be zero-emissions electrics by 2032.