Charting Model Year MPG Improvements for ICE Vehicles

How much does fuel economy improve when analyzing specific models over time?

Chris Brown・Associate Publisher

June 4, 2024

A silver SUV sits on a gray concrete surface with water in the background. — The Volvo XC60's fuel economy increased from 20 mpg city and 27 mpg highway in MY 2019 to 22/28 in MY 2024. Driving 15,000 miles per year, the fuel savings is $545 over a three-year period. (2024 Volvo XC60 shown).
Photo: Volvo Car USA

5 min to read

"Fuel economy improves with subsequent vehicle generations." This assumption proves true with a glance at the U.S. EPA's light-duty average fuel economy over the years.

Of course, fleets don't put fleet drivers in vehicles on averages; they spec specific models. How much does their fuel economy improve over time?

ICE Vehicle MPG Changes

To find out, Automotive Fleet asked the lifecycle cost experts at Vincentric to calculate the fuel expenses of popular fleet models for the 2019 and 2024 model years. We kept this analysis to internal combustion engine (ICE) models.

We only chose vehicles that existed in both model years for an apples-to-apples comparison. Though vehicle options and trim level designations change between model years, we chose the closest matches.

Vincentric calculated fuel at three years, 15,000 miles per year, $4.09 for vehicles requiring premium fuel (BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class, Cadillac Escalade, and Volvo XC-60) and $3.31 for regular (the rest).

The Results

Our comparison shows an improvement in overall MPG, but not by a significant amount. Average MPG improved from 23 city and 31 highway in 2019 to 24/32 in 2024. From the 2019 to the 2024 model year, total average fuel expense decreased by 2.7%, from $6,243 to $6,077.

Six models saw their fuel economy worsen. Six stayed the same, and 11 improved.

The big winners were Ford Explorer, with a 16.5% decrease in fuel expense, Mazda CX-5 with a 14.2% decrease, and Kia Sportage with a 12.1% decrease.

In the case of Ford Explorer, the vehicle entered a new generation between those model years and offers a broader range of engine choices.

The Takeaway

First, a caveat: This is only a snapshot of a small subset of models and does not represent the breadth of engine choices for each model.

In this admittedly narrow analysis, subsequent vehicle generations don't always show meaningful improvements in fuel economy.

Manufacturers engineer vehicles not just for improvements in fuel economy but also for vehicle functionality, safety, and driver comfort. Fleets spec holistically too.

In this case, revising their selector lists is a more productive path for fleets that have improving fuel economy higher on the priority list. A more comprehensive initiative to move toward more fuel-efficient models, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric models where applicable, will result in a quicker path to lowering fuel expense and carbon emissions.

2019-MY Vechicles
Make	Model	Series	Engine	City MPG	Highway MPG	Fuel Total
BMW	3-Series	330i	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC 16-valve Twin turbo	26	36	6,355
Honda	Accord	EX	1.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC 16-valve Turbocharged	30	38	4,665
Nissan	Altima	S	2.5L transverse Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	28	39	4,756
Mercedes	C Class	C300	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC 16-valve Turbocharged	23	34	6,936
Toyota	Camry	LE	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	28	39	4,756
Mazda	CX-5	Signature	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	22	27	6,462
Ford	Edge	SE	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged EcoBoost	21	28	6,490
Buick	Enclave	Essence	3.6L V6 SIDI DOHC	18	26	7,254
Chevrolet	Equinox	LS	1.5L Inline 4-cyl SIDI DOHC Turbocharged	24	30	5,868
Cadillac	Escalade	Luxury	6.2L V8 SIDI	14	23	10,738
Ford	Escape	SE	1.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged EcoBoost	23	30	5,991
Ford	Explorer	Base	3.5L V6 SMPI DOHC Naturally Aspirated	17	24	7,776
Jeep	Grand Cherokee	Laredo	3.6L V6 SMPI DOHC Pentastar	19	26	7,074
Chevrolet	Malibu	LS	1.5L Inline 4-cyl DOHC Turbocharged ECOTEC	29	36	4,874
Subaru	Outback	Limited	2.5L Horizontally opposed 4-cyl SMPI DOHC	25	32	5,568
Toyota	RAV4	LE	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	26	35	5,214
Nissan	Rogue	SL	2.5L transverse Inline 4-cyl SMPI DOHC	26	33	5,376
Hyundai	Sonata	SEL	2.4L Inline 4-cyl GDI DOHC	25	33	5,480
Kia	Sportage	EX	2.4L Inline 4-cyl GDI DOHC	22	29	6,231
GMC	Terrain	SLE	1.5L Inline 4-cyl SIDI DOHC Turbocharged	26	30	5,637
Volkswagen	Tiguan	S	2.0L transverse Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	22	29	6,231
Chevrolet	Trax	LS	1.4L Inline 4-cyl SMPI DOHC Turbocharged	25	33	5,480
Volvo	XC60	T5 - Inscription	2.0L transverse Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	20	27	8,373
			2019-MY mpg & fuel expense averages	23	31	6,243

2024-MY Vehicles
Make	Model	Series	Engine	City MPG	Highway MPG	Fuel Total
BMW	3-Series	330i	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection Turbocharged	25	34	6,674
Honda	Accord	EX 1.5L	1.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	29	37	4,808
Nissan	Altima	S	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Naturally Aspirated	27	39	4,835
Mercedes	C Class	C300	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	26	36	6,355
Toyota	Camry	LE	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	28	39	4,756
Mazda	CX-5	S Preferred	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	26	31	5,546
Ford	Edge	ST-Line	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	21	28	6,490
Buick	Enclave	Essence	3.6L V6 SIDI DOHC	18	26	7,254
Chevrolet	Equinox	LS	1.5L Inline 4-cyl SIDI DOHC Turbocharged	24	30	5,868
Cadillac	Escalade	ESV Premium Luxury	6.2L V8 Direct injection OHV	14	18	12,267
Ford	Escape	Base 1.5L	1.5L Inline 3-cyl GDI DOHC Turbocharged	27	34	5,199
Ford	Explorer	Base	2.3L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection Turbocharged	21	28	6,490
Jeep	Grand Cherokee	Laredo	3.6L V6 SMPI DOHC	19	26	7,074
Chevrolet	Malibu	LS	1.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	27	35	5,123
Subaru	Outback	Limited	2.5L Horizontally opposed 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	26	32	5,460
Toyota	RAV4	LE	2.5L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC	27	35	5,123
Nissan	Rogue	SL	1.5L Inline 3-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	29	36	4,874
Hyundai	Sonata	SEL	2.5L Inline 4-cyl GDI DOHC	25	36	5,234
Kia	Sportage	EX	2.5L Inline 4-cyl GDI DOHC	25	33	5,480
GMC	Terrain	SLE	1.5L Inline 4-cyl SIDI DOHC Turbocharged	24	29	5,970
Volkswagen	Tiguan	S	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	24	31	5,774
Chevrolet	Trax	1LS	1.2L Inline 3-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	28	32	5,258
Volvo	XC60	B5 - Core	2.0L Inline 4-cyl Direct injection DOHC Turbocharged	22	28	7,848
			2024-MY mpg & fuel expense averages	24	32	6,077