CAFE (Fuel Economy Standard) Calculator

CAFE standards are regulations that require automobile manufacturers to meet specific fuel economy targets for their vehicle fleets. These standards are set by NHTSA and help improve overall fuel efficiency and reduce oil consumption.

CAFE standards are set separately for passenger cars and light trucks, with different fuel economy requirements for each category. Light trucks typically have lower required fuel economy standards than passenger cars due to their size and intended use.

Manufacturers who fail to meet CAFE standards must pay civil penalties or use CAFE credits. The penalty is currently $14 for each 0.1 mpg the fleet falls short, multiplied by the number of vehicles produced that model year.

Yes, manufacturers can earn credits when they exceed CAFE standards and can use these credits to offset shortfalls in other years. Credits can be banked for up to five years and can also be transferred between a manufacturer's car and truck fleets.

The reformed standards establish increasingly stringent fuel economy requirements through 2031. The standards are based on vehicle footprint and include flexibility mechanisms like credit trading and banking to help manufacturers comply.

CAFE standards apply to passenger cars and light trucks (including SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans) with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less. Each category is calculated separately for compliance purposes.

The combined fleet CAFE is calculated using a harmonic mean, which weights each vehicle's fuel economy by its production volume. This method gives more weight to higher-volume, lower-efficiency vehicles in the calculation.