ANN ARBOR—Gas mileage of new vehicles sold in the U.S. remained the same in March as in the previous month, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in March 2016 was 25.3 mpg.

Overall, fuel economy is down 0.5 mpg from the peak reached in August 2014, but still up 5.2 mpg since October 2007, the first full month of monitoring by research professor Michael Sivak and project manager Brandon Schoettle.

Sivak and Schoettle also issued a monthly update of their national Eco-Driving Index (EDI)—an index that estimates the average monthly emissions of greenhouse gases generated by an individual U.S. drive. It was 0.84 in January 2016, up 0.01 from the revised value for December 2015.

This value indicates that the average new-vehicle driver produced 16 percent lower emissions in January 2016 than in October 2007, but 6 percent higher emissions than the record low reached in August 2014.

The EDI takes into account both vehicle fuel economy and distance driven (the latter relying on data that are published with a two-month lag).

More information:

• Fuel economy (with graph and table of current/recent mpg)
• Eco-Driving Index (with graph and table of current/recent values)
• Michael Sivak
• Brandon Schoettle

U-M Sustainability fosters a more sustainable world through collaborations across campus and beyond aimed at educating students, generating new knowledge, and minimizing our environmental footprint. Learn more at sustainability.umich.edu.