According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest fuel efficiency report, the average vehicle sold in the United States for the 2014 model year achieved real world mileage of 24.4mpg, or 0.1mpg better than in 2013. Although 2014 had the highest miles-per-gallon average the EPA has recorded to date, the rate of improvement for the nation’s fleet is slowing.
In 2013 new cars and trucks averaged 0.5mpg better than their 2012 counterparts. The improvement between 2011 and 2012 was even greater at 1.2mpg. Some of those gains could be wiped out in 2015, however, thanks to lower oil prices that are fueling sales of trucks and SUVs.
More powerful engines and heavier curb weights are also working against fuel efficiency. The EPA estimates that the average vehicle horsepower rating hit a record of 201 in 2014, up from 198 horsepower in 2013. The average vehicle now weighs 3,572, up 27 pounds from the year prior and the heaviest average on record since 1978.
Automaker will have to find a workaround for those problems as the EPA has mandated a 35.5mpg fleet-wide average by 2016. Car makers will have to hit 54.5mpg, which is about equal to 40mpg in real world driving, by 2025.
Mazda was the closest to hitting those targets in 2014 with an overall average fuel economy of 28.8mpg. Honda was second on the list with a fleet average of 27.6mpg, followed by Subaru’s 27.5mpg fleet-wide average.
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