EPA is responsible for providing the fuel economy data that is
used by consumers and various government organizations to administer
the following national fuel economy programs:
- Fuel Economy Estimates are printed on labels affixed to the
windows of new cars and trucks to allow consumers to compare the
fuel economy of different vehicles.
- Department of Energy (DOE), in conjunction with EPA, publishes
the fuel economy estimates in the annual Fuel
Economy Guide.
- Department of Transportation (DOT) administers the Corporate
Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program.
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assesses and collects Gas Guzzler
taxes from manufacturers whose cars have fuel economy below the
specified limits.
On this page, you will find:
Information for Consumers:
Fuel economy information for consumers.
Regulations and Standards:
Details about the laws that govern fuel economy testing and reporting,
and how federal agencies work to enforce those laws.
Data and Testing: Historical
raw test data from EPA's fuel economy test database.
Information for Consumers
About PDF Files
Regulations and Standards
- EPA's regulations giving instructions on how to test vehicles,
measure, calculate and report fuel economy information are found
in the Code of Federal Regulations, CFR
Part 600 (1995) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model
Year Automobiles (270K PDF, 65 pages).
- Corporate
Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
requires vehicle manufacturers to comply with the gas mileage,
or fuel economy, standards set by the DOT. CAFE values are obtained
by combining the city and highway fuel economy test results and
computing an average which is weighted by vehicle sales. Tests
are conducted in a laboratory by operating vehicles on a dynamometer.
EPA administers the testing program that generates the fuel economy
data and determines the procedures for calculating the fuel economy
values for CAFE. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration
(NHTSA), part of DOT, is authorized to assess penalties based
on the information EPA supplies and to modify the standards.
- The Gas Guzzler Tax is imposed on manufacturers
on the sale of new model year cars (not minivans, sport utility
vehicles or pick-up trucks) whose fuel economy fails to meet required
levels, to discourage the production and purchase of fuel inefficient
vehicles. The fuel economy figures used to determine the tax are
different from the fuel economy values provided in the Fuel Economy
Guide. The tax is collected by the Internal Revenue Service and
paid by the manufacturer. The amount of the tax is displayed on
the vehicle’s fuel economy label (the window sticker on
new cars).
- Bluewater Network Petition
The environmental group, Bluewater Network has petitioned EPA
to revise its methods for calculating the fuel economy estimates
posted on the window stickers and published in the annual Fuel
Economy Guide. The following documents provide background:
Data and Testing
Fuel Economy Guide data is derived from vehicle testing performed
by EPA by vehicle manufacturers who submit their own test data to
EPA. EPA also performs a small amount of testing to confirm the
manufacturer results. Each year, EPA provides the data to the various
government organizations that are responsible for administering
fuel economy programs.
For more information, contact us at omscfeis@epa.gov.
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