Maps and Data

This chart shows average annual fuel use (per vehicle) of major vehicle categories in the United States. The two factors affecting the average annual fuel use of a vehicle are the average miles per year (correlative) and the fuel economy of the vehicle (inversely correlative). Transit buses, which are relatively inefficient because of their stop-and-go drive cycles and heavy loads, consume more fuel on average than any other vehicle type. Class 8 trucks, which typically travel long distances carrying heavy loads, use the second-largest amount of fuel. Refuse trucks, like transit buses, are inefficient because of their heavy loads and stop-and-go drive cycles. The last four vehicle types are owned by individual consumers, and they each use a fraction of the fuel used by fleet-based vehicles, on a per-vehicle basis. See also Average Annual Vehicle Miles Traveled by Major Vehicle Categories and Average Fuel Economy of Major Vehicle Categories.

To view more details, notes, and acronyms, please download the Excel spreadsheet.