Average US New-Car Fuel Economy Falls To 25.2 MPG In February
March 9th, 2015 7:00 AM
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A few consumers got their trucks and SUVs while the prices at the pump were still low, leading to a drop in U.S. average new-car fuel economy in February.
Per the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the average fuel economy for light-duty vehicles that month fell to 25.2 mpg from January’s 25.4 mpg. Both scores, however, are still lower than the peak of 25.8 mpg seen last August.
That said, with fuel prices back on the rise — current average is $2.45/gal. according to AAA — the average will likely go back up as consumers weigh their needs against the pump. And of course, even February’s average is better than what it was when UMTRI began monitoring such things in October of 2007, when that month’s average was 20.1 mpg.
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Pretty impressive gains if you think about where we've been headed: heavier cars with smaller engines. I'm getting 16.8mpg this winter, driving around town. But since my car is an 09 I feel a little bit better after seeing this chart.
I can't believe that "garbage in" was produced by a university! But I'm equally saddened to see TTAC spread the "garbage out" again.