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). Class 8 trucks, which typically travel long distances carrying heavy loads, consume more fuel on average than any other vehicle type. Transit buses and refuse trucks also use large quantities of fuel since they both log high numbers of miles on average and have relatively low fuel economy. 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.