Fuel economy drops slightly in August

Fuel economy drops slightly in August

The average fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in August was 25.3 mpg, down 0.1 mpg from the value for July and back to the June value. Figures are from the University of Michigan.

The decline likely reflects the decreased price of gasoline in August and the resulting increased sales of light trucks, said University researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle.

Fuel economy is down 0.5 mpg from the peak reached in August 2014, but still up 5.2 mpg since October 2007. Every month in 2016, the figure has hovered between 25.2 and 25.4 mpg.

Download Bulletin PDF