In order to comply with the new regulations imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), all models of automobiles that are produced after 2026 are required to be capable of traveling 40 miles on a single gallon of fuel. This represents a significant improvement in comparison to the current criteria, which were established under the administration of former President Donald Trump and mandated a fuel efficiency of 24 miles per gallon for cars manufactured in 2022. Our chart that is based on the average fuel efficiency of gasoline-powered models reveals that four out of the eight automobiles that would be the best sellers in the United States in 2021 would not even be able to clear this lower bar if they tried.
The Chevrolet Silverado lineup, with an average of 17.5 miles per gallon across all models, and the Ram 1500 line, with an average of 20 miles per gallon, are both among the top three cars in terms of sales numbers in the United States. Two of the worst offenders, the Ram 1500 line and the Silverado lineup, are among the worst offenders. Ram Trucks came in the second position behind the Silverado product line, which sold over 520,000 units in the previous year, with approximately 570,000 cars being sold to customers in the United States by Ram Trucks. Even though it is the most popular car line in the United States, the Ford F-Series only managed to place sixth in terms of fuel efficiency when compared to the seven other best-selling passenger cars. This is despite the fact that it sold around 726,00 units. It is interesting to note that even the model with the best average fuel efficiency, the Honda CR-V model, would not be able to achieve the requirements established by the NHTSA estimates that the vehicle has a range of around 32 miles per gallon.
The new fuel economy rules have the potential to lower the amount of gasoline used by automobiles by more than 220 billion gallons over the course of their lifetimes, as stated by NHTSA officials that were reported by the Associated Press.
For full-size pickup vehicles to fulfill the 40-mpg goal, their fuel efficiency must be greatly increased
The vehicles on this list that come the closest to meeting the new 40 mpg benchmark are compact crossover SUVs like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue, which are among the best sellers in their segments. However, in order to comply with the new 40 mpg criteria by the year 2026, full-size pickup trucks like the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, and Chevy Silverado will need to see considerable improvements in their fuel efficiency.
The Chevrolet Silverado, with its fuel economy of 17.5 miles per gallon, earns the title of “worst offender” on this list. With 519,774 units sold, the Chevrolet Silverado was the third best-selling car in the United States in the year 2021. The Ford F-Series, which includes the F-150, was the best-selling automobile in the United States, with 726,004 units sold. A fuel economy of 20.4 miles per gallon is achieved by the F-150. The Ram 1500, which is also quite popular, gets a mileage rating of 20.4 miles per gallon (mpg). With a total of 569,388 vehicles sold, the Ram Truck brand was the second best-selling automobile brand.
Why did NHTSA and Biden up the fuel economy standard?
In an effort to lower overall gasoline usage, the NHTSA increased the minimum required fuel efficiency to 40 miles per gallon. This is a part of the effort that is being made to minimize carbon emissions and the detrimental impact that they have on climate change. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that the new fuel economy criteria “may lower the consumption of gasoline by more than 220 billion gallons throughout the lifetime of vehicles.”
The previous threshold, which was set by the Trump administration at 24 mpg, has been raised to 40 mpg, representing a significant increase. On the other hand, these criteria lowered the bar that had been set by the Obama administration in 2012. According to these criteria, automobiles have to get 54.5 miles per gallon by the year 2025.
Frequently asked questions:
What is the most fuel inefficient car?
If it weren’t for the Italians incorporating cylinder deactivation and stop-start technology into the V-12, the stats are almost certainly going to be far worse. In 2019, the “basic” model of the Bugatti Chiron achieved barely 11 miles per gallon, which tied for the absolute poorest fuel efficiency of all automobiles in the year 2020.
Which vehicles consume the most fuel?
The Bentley Meteor has been officially recognized as “the vehicle that consumes the most fuel” in the entire world. To go 100 kilometers consumes 117 liters of petrol. This automobile will need 57 liters of engine oil, 6 liters of transmission oil, and 64 liters of cooling fluids while we are waiting.
Which car brand has the lowest fuel consumption?
The plug-in hybrid sedan version of the Toyota Prius is the most environmentally friendly vehicle available for purchase in the United States. In electric-only mode, it has a maximum range of 25 miles, and with a full tank of petrol, it has a total range of 615 miles.