US DOT finalizes CAFE standards for model years 2027-2031

10 June 2024

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for model year 2027-2031 light-duty vehicles.

In the final rule, fuel economy will increase 2% per year for model years 2027-2031 for passenger cars, while light trucks will increase 2% per year for model years 2029-2031. These increases will bring the average light-duty vehicle fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 mpg by model year 2031, saving car and light truck owners an estimated $600 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.

For heavy-duty (Class 2b/3) pickup trucks and vans, fuel efficiency will increase 10% per year for model years 2030-2032 and 8% per year for model years 2033-2035. This will result in a fleetwide average of approximately 35 mpg by model year 2035, saving heavy-duty pickup and van owners an estimated $700 in fuel over the lifetime of their vehicles.

When Congress established the CAFE program in the 1970s, the average vehicle got about 13 mpg. Note that the above CAFE fuel economy values can be significantly different from the EPA fuel economy values and new vehicle labels.

The new CAFE standards apply to all vehicle types, including internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid technologies, and electric vehicles. Fuel economy of electric vehicles is established using the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy calculation (PEF), the methodology of which is determined by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

Vehicle manufacturers must meet the new CAFE standards alongside the GHG emission standards adopted recently by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Source: US NHTSA