Truck performance spans more than acceleration. In the United States, EPA light-duty data shows rising horsepower and faster calculated acceleration alongside gradual fuel-economy gains, while commercial-truck surveys and FHWA travel data describe a much broader operating range.
Key Truck Performance Statistics
The most useful headline figures cover new-vehicle performance, production mix, technology adoption and commercial road use:
- In MY 2024, 27.2 mpg was the EPA-estimated average real-world fuel economy for the U.S. new light-duty vehicle fleet.
- From MY 2004 to MY 2024, average U.S. new-light-duty-vehicle fuel economy increased 41%.
- During MY 2005–2024, fuel economy improved in 16 of the 20 model years preceding 2024 for the U.S. new light-duty vehicle fleet.
- In MY 2023, truck regulatory-class vehicles represented about 62% of U.S. new light-duty production.
- Between MY 2022 and MY 2023, U.S. new-pickup fuel economy increased 0.5 mpg.
- Between MY 2022 and MY 2023, U.S. new truck-SUV fuel economy increased 0.4 mpg.
- Between MY 1975 and MY 2023, average horsepower for U.S. new pickups increased 141%.
- Between MY 1975 and MY 2023, average horsepower for U.S. new truck SUVs increased 77%.
- In MY 2023, the calculated average 0-to-60 time for the U.S. new light-duty fleet was 7.3 seconds.
- In MY 2023, truck SUVs accounted for 45% of U.S. new light-duty production.
- In MY 2023, battery-electric vehicles represented 9.8% of U.S. new light-duty production.
- In MY 2023, vehicles with seven or more gears represented 72.7% of U.S. new light-duty production.
- From MY 2008 to MY 2023, the average U.S. new-light-duty-vehicle footprint grew from 48.9 to 51.8 square feet.
- In MY 2023, four-wheel drive represented 24.1% of U.S. new-light-duty production.
- In 2021, U.S. medium/heavy truck fuel economy ranged from 4.0 to 10.1 mpg by body type.
- In 2023, U.S. rural interstates carried 59,441 million combination-truck vehicle-miles.
Contents
- Fuel economy and emissions trends
- Horsepower, weight and acceleration
- Truck market and production mix
- Powertrain and technology adoption
- Size, footprint and drivetrain
- Commercial fuel economy and road use
Truck Performance Statistics: Fuel Economy and Emissions Trends
EPA’s 2024 Automotive Trends Report measures the U.S. new light-duty fleet, not trucks alone. Its “truck” category is a regulatory class or vehicle type and includes pickups, vans and truck SUVs, so the figures should not be treated as a universal measure of every consumer truck.
| Measure | Result | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| Average real-world fuel economy | 27.2 mpg | U.S. new light-duty fleet, MY 2024 estimate |
| Long-term fuel-economy change | 41% higher | U.S. new light-duty fleet, MY 2004–2024 estimate |
| Model years with improvement | 16 of 20 | U.S. new light-duty fleet, MY 2005–2024 |
| Counterfactual effect | 1.7 mpg lower | MY 2024 fleet excluding BEVs and PHEVs |
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975. EPA real-world fuel economy and CO2 values are estimates, and MY 2024 values are preliminary projections where identified.
Truck-specific changes were positive over the latest comparison period. EPA estimated that pickup fuel economy rose 0.5 mpg from MY 2022 to MY 2023, while truck-SUV fuel economy rose 0.4 mpg over the same period.
These changes sit within a wider fleet transition. Truck regulatory-class vehicles were about 62% of MY 2023 production, and pickups alone represented 15%; by comparison, car-SUV CO2 fell 60 g/mi, or 24%, from MY 2022 to MY 2023, although that measure excludes truck SUVs.
Pickup and Truck-SUV Performance Data: Horsepower, Weight and Acceleration
Long-run EPA vehicle-type averages show substantially more power in today’s pickups and truck SUVs than in 1975. These are fleet averages, not claims about a specific trim, engine or payload configuration.
- Average horsepower for U.S. new pickups increased 141% between MY 1975 and MY 2023.
- Average horsepower for U.S. new truck SUVs increased 77% between MY 1975 and MY 2023.
- Average horsepower for U.S. new car SUVs increased 139% between MY 1975 and MY 2023, a separate vehicle type.
- The calculated average 0-to-60 time for the U.S. new light-duty fleet was 7.3 seconds in MY 2023.
- EPA’s preliminary projection for the same fleet was 7.4 seconds in MY 2024.
- Calculated pickup 0-to-60 time declined 50% from 1978 to 2023, while the truck-SUV series declined 43%.
EPA calculates 0-to-60 time for most internal-combustion-engine vehicles, so those figures are calculated series rather than universal instrumented test results. Manufacturer-wide estimates provide additional context: GM’s MY 2023 new-vehicle fleet averaged 288 hp, compared with 316 hp for Ford and 316 hp for Stellantis.
Truck Market and Production Statistics by Vehicle Type
The U.S. new-light-duty production mix has shifted decisively toward truck-class vehicles and SUVs. In 1975, sedans and wagons accounted for more than 80% of production; in 2023, that category was 25%.
| Vehicle category or observation | Share or change | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Truck SUVs | 45% | U.S. new light-duty production, MY 2023 |
| Car SUVs | 12% | U.S. new light-duty production, MY 2023 |
| Pickups | 15% | U.S. new light-duty production, MY 2023 |
| Minivans and vans | Below 3% | U.S. new light-duty production, MY 2023 |
| Pickup peak | 19% | U.S. new light-duty production, MY 1994 |
| Sedan/wagon share | Over 80% to 25% | U.S. new light-duty production, MY 1975–2023 |
Truck-class production remained near an all-time high at 62% in MY 2023. Among qualifying U.S. SUVs with inertia weight of 4,000 pounds or less, 72% were truck-class in that model year.
Manufacturer production mixes also varied. Ford had the highest manufacturer pickup share at 44% in MY 2023, Mazda had the highest manufacturer truck-SUV share at 89%, and GM increased its pickup production share by 12 percentage points from MY 2022 to MY 2023; these are production mixes, not overall market shares.
Truck Powertrain and Technology Adoption Statistics
EPA’s MY 2023 production data shows a market still dominated by gasoline internal-combustion vehicles, while electrified powertrains and related technologies occupied measurable shares.
| Technology | Share of U.S. new-light-duty production, MY 2023 |
|---|---|
| Gasoline ICE without stop/start | 26.3% |
| Gasoline ICE with stop/start | 49.2% |
| Mild hybrids | 4.9% |
| Strong hybrids | 7.2% |
| Plug-in hybrids | 1.7% |
| Battery-electric vehicles | 9.8% |
| Turbocharged vehicles | 38.0% |
| Seven or more gears | 72.7% |
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975. The shares describe the U.S. new light-duty fleet and are not truck-only adoption rates; the turbocharged category includes turbocharged diesels.
The same report found that BEVs represented 36% of MY 2023 car-SUV production, a category distinction that matters because car SUVs are not truck SUVs. Excluding BEVs and PHEVs would lower the EPA-estimated MY 2024 average fleet fuel economy by 1.7 mpg, a counterfactual rather than an observed truck result.
Truck Size, Footprint and Drivetrain Statistics
Vehicle footprint is defined here as wheelbase multiplied by average track width. Across the U.S. new-light-duty fleet, the average footprint rose from 48.9 square feet in MY 2008 to 51.8 square feet in MY 2023, an increase of 6%.
Truck-specific footprint changes were smaller but still upward: the average new-pickup footprint increased 3.4% from MY 2008 to MY 2023, while the average new truck-SUV footprint increased 3.7%. EPA’s preliminary MY 2024 fleet-footprint projection was 51.6 square feet.
Drivetrain shares show how common traction configurations were across the full light-duty fleet:
- Four-wheel drive represented 24.1% of U.S. new-light-duty production in MY 2023.
- Rear-wheel drive represented 29.9% of U.S. new-light-duty production in MY 2023.
Manufacturer-wide weight estimates were 4,766 pounds for GM’s MY 2023 new-vehicle fleet and 4,845 pounds for Ford’s MY 2023 new-vehicle fleet. Those figures are fleet averages, not pickup-only curb weights or payload ratings.
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975. Footprint and MY 2024 values carry the report’s stated series and preliminary limitations.
Commercial Truck Fuel Economy and Road-Use Statistics
Commercial performance looks different from light-duty performance because body type, duty cycle and road use vary widely. A U.S. Department of Energy survey reported 2021 medium/heavy-truck body-type fuel economy from 4.0 to 10.1 mpg, excluding pickups, SUVs, light vans and unreported body types.
| Medium/heavy body type | Average fuel economy | Period and geography |
|---|---|---|
| Full-size vans | 10.1 mpg | U.S., 2021 survey |
| Garbage trucks | 4.5 mpg | U.S., 2021 survey |
| Concrete mixers | 4.0 mpg | U.S., 2021 survey |
| All covered body types | 4.0–10.1 mpg | U.S., 2021 survey range |
Source: FOTW #1342: Average On-Road Fuel Economy for Medium/Heavy Trucks Ranged from 4.0 mpg to 10.1 mpg in 2021. The DOE figures are survey results and exclude the vehicle groups noted above.
FHWA’s 2023 vehicle-miles-traveled estimates separate single-unit and combination trucks by highway category. A single-unit truck means a single-frame truck with two axles and at least six tires, or a vehicle with gross vehicle weight rating above 10,000 pounds.
| Highway category | Single-unit truck VMT | Combination-truck VMT |
|---|---|---|
| Rural interstates | 11,957 million miles | 59,441 million miles |
| Other rural arterials | 19,890 million miles | 33,536 million miles |
| Other rural roads | 18,432 million miles | 13,888 million miles |
Source: Table VM-1 – Highway Statistics 2023. FHWA VMT is organized by highway category and truck class, so these are road-use estimates rather than national truck sales or fleet-size counts.