Legislation and Regulations.

Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards for Light Trucks 

The regulation of fuel economy for new light vehicles was established through the enactment of the Energy Policy Conservation Act of 1975. The regulation of light truck fuel economy was implemented in model year 1979. Increases in light truck CAFE standards continued to be made through the 1980s and 1990s, reaching 20.7 miles per gallon for model year 1996. Thereafter, Congress prohibited any further increases in fuel economy standards. 

Congress lifted the prohibition on new CAFE standards on December 18, 2001. On April 1, 2003, NHTSA published a final rule for increasing CAFE standards for light trucks (all pickup trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles with gross vehicle weight rating less than 8,500 pounds). The new CAFE standard requires that the light trucks sold by a manufacturer have a minimum average fuel economy of 21.0 miles per gallon for model year 2005, 21.6 miles per gallon for model year 2006, and 22.2 miles per gallon for model year 2007. The new light truck CAFE standards are incorporated in AEO2004.

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Notes and Sources

Released: January 2004