- According to a new study, a majority of Americans support better fuel economy standards.
- Some 76% of the respondents said they expected every new vehicle generation to be more fuel efficient.
- Car buyers said fuel economy, purchase price, maintenance costs and infotainment are areas with the most room for improvement.
Polarization may be the buzzword lately, but when it comes to improving fuel economy, Americans appear to be united. Across party lines, they agree: Fuel economy standards should keep improving to reduce car ownership costs.
Consumer Reports released an insightful study today, surveying nearly 2,200 individuals nationwide to determine how important fuel economy was to them. About 96% said fuel economy matters, with 84% insisting automakers must improve fuel efficiency across all vehicle types.
Photo by: InsideEVs
Why does this matter?
Petroleum companies, along with President-elect Donald Trump and many of his supporters have been pushing back against the Biden administration’s measures to improve fuel economy and vehicle emissions standards. Going by this study, though, it seems like most U.S. car buyers support pushing companies toward more efficient vehicles.
The U.S. Department of Transportation last year issued new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for the model years 2027-2032. The rules require the fleetwide average fuel economy for passenger cars to increase by 2% annually during those years.
Light-duty trucks would need to achieve a similar 2% improvement between 2029-2031. The DOT said this would improve the average fuel economy for light duty vehicles to more than double from current levels, exceeding 50 miles per gallon by the end of the decade. Some form of electrification will be necessary to achieve that goal—no purely gas-powered vehicle on sale today gets 50 mpg.
Automakers will need to sell more hybrids, EVs and plug-in hybrids to hit these targets.
The fuel economy standards also intertwine with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions rules finalized last year, which are the strictest in U.S. history. They require vehicles to slash their CO2 emissions and lower the release of hazardous gases that harm the planet and public health.
Under pressure from automakers, dealer groups and petroleum companies, the EPA watered down the final rules, requiring a more gradual transition away from polluting gas cars in the program’s early stages starting 2027, but still requiring a sharp decline in fleet emissions from 2030 onwards.
There’s broad scientific consensus that electrification is the way forward to achieve that goal.
Photo by: InsideEVs
The CR study seems to echo the broader sentiment, something the DOT and the EPA have set out to achieve in the first place: Americans want to lower their gas expenses, want improved air quality and expect fuel economy to improve in the coming years.
Seventy six percent of the respondents said they expected every new vehicle generation to be more fuel efficient. Seventy four percent of them said automakers have a responsibility to improve mileage. Sixty four percent of participants said the government should increase fuel efficiency standards.
CR estimates that under current policies, car buyers may be able to save an additional $6,000 per vehicle over the next five years. But a policy reversal under Trump could cost buyers an average of $8,000 more for gas by the end of the decade.
Americans may not agree on a lot these days, but costs of owning a vehicle and refueling do matter to them. Now we’ll see if the incoming administration helps reduce those costs or passes legislation that would shoot them back up.
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