Vehicle Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) Requirements by Year
| 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Passenger Cars | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27.5 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 27.5 | 30.4 | 33.3 | 34.2 | 34.9 | 36.2 | 37.8 | 39.6 | 41.1 | 42.5 | 44.2 | 46.1 | 48.2 | 50.5 | 52.9 | 55.3 |
| Light-Duty Trucks | 17.5 | 19 | 20 | 19.5 | 20 | 20.5 | 20.5 | 20.5 | 20 | 20.2 | 20.2 | 20.4 | 20.5 | 20.6 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 20.7 | 21 | 21.6 | 22.2 | 22.5 | 23.1 | 23.5 | 24.4 | 25.4 | 26 | 26.6 | 27.5 | 28.8 | 29.1 | 29.6 | 30 | 30.6 | 32.6 | 34.2 | 35.8 | 37.5 | 39.3 |
Source:
CAFE Standards 1978-2010: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
CAFE Standards 2011-2016: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CAFE 2012-2016 Final Rule
CAFE Standards 2017-2025: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CAFE 2017-2025 Final Rule
Notes: CAFE standards for light-duty trucks were not introduced until 1982.
CAFE Standards for model years 2017-2025 introduce alternative compliance mechanisms, such as improvements in air conditioning efficiency and greater production of electric and alternative fuel vehicles.
Passenger cars and light-duty trucks are defined in Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 49 CFR part 523. Each of these definitions has two separate "footprint" classifications that are based on the vehicle's size and are used to determine CAFE requirements for a particular vehicle.
Required average fuel economy for years 2017-2025 is projected using the 2010 model year as a baseline.
Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) fuel economy standards were put in place after the 1974 and 1980 oil price shocks. Cheap oil throughout the 1980s and 1990s reduced the pressure for CAFE to be used as a tool to reduce petroleum use. The oil price shock of 2008 renewed interest in CAFE and the president changed the trajectory of fuel economy improvements to 2025.
