Vehicle quality has several measurable dimensions rather than one universal score. U.S. EPA production data tracks efficiency, emissions, weight and technology in new light-duty vehicles, while NHTSA recall records and IIHS crash analyses show different quality and safety outcomes for vehicles in use.
Key Vehicle Quality Statistics
The most broadly useful figures span new-vehicle performance, technology adoption, recalls and safety outcomes:
- In model year 2023, U.S. new light-duty vehicles averaged 27.1 mpg in estimated real-world fuel economy.
- In model year 2023, U.S. new light-duty vehicles emitted an estimated 319 grams of CO2 per mile, the lowest rate in the EPA record.
- In model year 2024, average U.S. new-vehicle fuel economy reached a record 27.2 mpg.
- In the 20 model years ending with model year 2024, average new-vehicle fuel economy improved in 16 years in the United States.
- In model year 2024, trucks represented 66% of U.S. new-vehicle production under NHTSA regulatory definitions.
- In model year 2023, battery-electric vehicles represented 36% of U.S. car-SUV production.
- From model year 1975 to 2023, four of EPA’s five vehicle types more than doubled their fuel economy in the United States.
- Average U.S. new-vehicle weight reached 4,371 pounds in model year 2023, the highest point in the EPA record.
- The gap between the heaviest and lightest U.S. new-vehicle types widened to about 1,535 pounds in model year 2023.
- Without battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, model-year 2023 average new-vehicle CO2 emissions would have been 38 g/mi higher in the EPA counterfactual.
- In model year 2023, mild hybrids accounted for about 40% of U.S. hybrid production.
- NHTSA recorded 1,073 U.S. vehicle recalls affecting 35,000,618 vehicles in calendar year 2024.
- In 2024, defect recalls affected 27,682,450 U.S. vehicles across 1,029 campaigns.
- The United States recorded 39,254 motor-vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people.
- In 2024, speeding contributed to 11,288 U.S. crash deaths, or 29% of the national total.
- Among 1–3-year-old registered U.S. passenger vehicles in 2024, all-crash driver-death rates were 58 per million for cars, 34 for pickups and 27 for SUVs.
- Rollover crashes accounted for 6,250 U.S. passenger-vehicle occupant deaths in 2024.
Contents
- Key Vehicle Quality Statistics
- Vehicle Quality Statistics: Fuel Economy and Emissions Trends
- Vehicle Quality Data on Weight, Power and Vehicle Design
- Vehicle Quality Statistics for Propulsion and Technology Adoption
- Vehicle Quality Outcomes: Recalls and Affected Vehicle Populations
- Vehicle Quality and Safety Outcomes by Vehicle Type and Crash Context
Vehicle Quality Statistics: Fuel Economy and Emissions Trends
The EPA’s 2024 Automotive Trends Report covers model-year technology trends from 1975 through 2024. Its fuel-economy and CO2 measures describe new light-duty vehicles produced for sale in the United States and are estimated real-world fleet metrics, not owner-reported reliability scores.
| Measure | Period | U.S. result |
|---|---|---|
| Average real-world fuel economy | Model year 2023 | 27.1 mpg |
| Average CO2 emissions | Model year 2023 | 319 g/mi |
| Average fuel economy | Model year 2024 | 27.2 mpg |
| Production classified as cars | Model year 2024 | 34% |
| Production classified as trucks | Model year 2024 | 66% |
The 2023 average fuel economy rose 1.1 mpg from the prior model year, while the 319 g/mi emissions estimate was 18 g/mi lower than in model year 2022. EPA also reports that average new-vehicle fuel economy improved in 16 of the last 20 reported model years ending with model year 2024.
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Vehicle mix matters when interpreting fleet averages. Truck SUVs accounted for about half of all new-vehicle production in model year 2024, while minivans and vans represented less than 3% of production in model year 2023.
Car SUVs reduced average real-world CO2 emissions by 60 g/mi, or 24%, from model year 2022 to 2023. Battery-electric vehicles made up 36% of model-year 2023 car-SUV production, a production share rather than a registration or sales share.
Compared with 1975, four of EPA’s five vehicle types more than doubled their fuel economy by model year 2023; pickups were the exception. In model year 2023, car SUVs had the highest fuel economy after a 7.2 mpg increase, while sedan/wagon fuel economy rose 0.9 mpg, pickup fuel economy rose 0.5 mpg and truck-SUV fuel economy rose 0.4 mpg.
Vehicle Quality Data on Weight, Power and Vehicle Design
Weight is a central design measure because the U.S. new-vehicle fleet changed direction several times. Average new-vehicle weight fell 21%, from 4,060 pounds in 1975 to about 3,200 pounds in 1981, then rose 28% to 4,111 pounds by model year 2004.
By model year 2023, average new-vehicle weight had reached 4,371 pounds, about 6% above 2004 and the highest point in the EPA record.
| Vehicle-design comparison | Earlier period | Later period |
|---|---|---|
| Average new-vehicle weight | 4,060 lb in 1975 | 4,371 lb in 2023 |
| Heaviest-lightest type gap | About 215 lb in 1975 | About 1,535 lb in 2023 |
| Sedan/wagon versus pickup | Sedan/wagons 45 lb heavier in 1975 | Pickups 1,535 lb heavier in 2023 |
| Average pickup peak | — | 5,485 lb in 2014 |
The gap between the heaviest and lightest vehicle types widened from about 215 pounds in 1975 to about 1,535 pounds in 2023. That 2023 gap equaled about 35% of average new-vehicle weight, compared with about 5% in 1975.
The direction of the sedan/wagon and pickup comparison also reversed. Sedan/wagons outweighed pickups by about 45 pounds in 1975, but pickups outweighed sedan/wagons by about 1,535 pounds in 2023; these are vehicle-type averages, not individual vehicle comparisons.
Average new pickups reached a peak of 5,485 pounds in model year 2014. These weight measures describe EPA curb-weight trends and should not be treated as a direct rating of build quality, durability or owner satisfaction.
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Vehicle Quality Statistics for Propulsion and Technology Adoption
Propulsion technology is another measurable dimension of vehicle quality, particularly when it affects fleet emissions and fuel economy. The EPA’s counterfactual comparisons isolate the modeled contribution of electrified vehicles without presenting a separate observed fleet.
- Without BEVs and PHEVs, model-year 2023 average new-vehicle CO2 emissions would have been 38 g/mi higher.
- Without BEVs and PHEVs, model-year 2024 average new-vehicle fuel economy would have been 1.7 mpg lower.
- Mild hybrids represented about 40% of hybrid production in model year 2023.
- Sedan/wagon hybrids represented 25% of all hybrid production in model year 2023.
The first two figures are EPA counterfactual estimates, not measurements of a separately produced vehicle fleet. The production shares are also not sales or registration shares, and the mild-hybrid definition follows the EPA report’s taxonomy.
For model year 2024, the EPA report separates propulsion into eight technology categories, including diesel, stop/start, mild hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery electric and fuel-cell vehicles. Its vehicle-technology section contains 15 technology-adoption and comparison figures, covering subjects such as hybrid shares and BEV, PHEV and FCEV production.
The report’s technology trend coverage spans 50 years, from model year 1975 through model year 2024. This breadth helps distinguish long-run changes in propulsion and vehicle design from a single-year adoption snapshot.
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Economy, and Technology since 1975.
Vehicle Quality Outcomes: Recalls and Affected Vehicle Populations
NHTSA recall data measures campaigns and the vehicles named in those campaigns. It does not measure repair completion, defect severity or the probability that an individual vehicle failed, so recall counts should remain separate from EPA production metrics and IIHS crash outcomes.
| Recall category | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Total recalls | 1,000 | 1,073 |
| Vehicles affected by total recalls | 39,783,137 | 35,000,618 |
| Defect recalls | 964 | 1,029 |
| Vehicles affected by defect recalls | 31,015,473 | 27,682,450 |
| Compliance recalls | 36 | 44 |
| Vehicles affected by compliance recalls | 8,767,664 | 7,318,168 |
NHTSA recorded 1,073 total vehicle recalls affecting 35,000,618 vehicles in calendar year 2024. The total was 73 higher than the 1,000 recalls recorded in 2023, even though the affected population fell from 39,783,137 to 35,000,618 vehicles.
Defect recalls increased from 964 in 2023 to 1,029 in 2024, while the affected defect-recall population fell from 31,015,473 to 27,682,450. Compliance recalls increased from 36 to 44, while vehicles affected by compliance recalls fell from 8,767,664 to 7,318,168.
For an earlier reference point, NHTSA recorded 1,050 total vehicle recalls affecting 32,141,648 vehicles in calendar year 2022. That year included 1,017 defect recalls affecting 28,874,257 vehicles.
Source: 2024 Annual Recall Report.
Vehicle Quality and Safety Outcomes by Vehicle Type and Crash Context
IIHS safety outcomes are retrospective analyses of NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System data. They describe deaths and death rates, not direct mechanical-quality measures.
The United States recorded 39,254 motor-vehicle crash deaths in calendar year 2024. The rates were 11.5 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.19 deaths per 100 million miles traveled; compared with 1975, those rates were 44% and 64% lower, respectively.
Speeding contributed to 11,288 crash deaths in 2024, or 29% of the national total. Speeding-related deaths represented 33% of deaths on minor roads, 29% on interstates and freeways, and 27% on other major roads.
By posted speed limit, speeding-related deaths represented 25% of deaths on roads limited to 35 mph or less, 30% at 40–50 mph and 42% at 55 mph or more in 2024.
| Vehicle group | Occupant deaths in 2024 | Single-vehicle share |
|---|---|---|
| Cars | 11,769 | 38% |
| Pickups | 4,034 | 54% |
| SUVs | 6,648 | 44% |
Among 1–3-year-old registered passenger vehicles in 2024, all-crash driver-death rates were 58 per million for cars, 34 for pickups and 27 for SUVs. By size class, rates were 139 for mini cars, 60 for small cars, 54 for midsize cars and 69 for large cars; pickup rates were 37 for small, 33 for large and 31 for very large pickups.
SUV rates were 34 per million for small SUVs, 22 for midsize SUVs, 12 for large SUVs and 22 for very large SUVs. These are registration-based rates restricted to vehicles one to three years old, so they should not be generalized to every vehicle age or the entire vehicle population.
For the same 1–3-year-old vehicle group, multiple-vehicle driver-death rates were 35 per million for cars, 19 for pickups and 17 for SUVs, while single-vehicle rates were 22, 15 and 10, respectively.
In multiple-vehicle crashes, frontal impacts caused 14 driver deaths per million vehicles, side impacts 6 and rear impacts 2. In single-vehicle crashes, frontal impacts caused 10 per million, side impacts 1 and rear impacts less than 1.
Rollover crashes accounted for 6,250 passenger-vehicle occupant deaths in 2024, and 22% of rollovers occurred without a prior impact. Rollover deaths represented 20% of car occupant deaths, 38% of pickup occupant deaths and 33% of SUV occupant deaths.
Source: Fatality Facts 2024: Yearly snapshot and Passenger vehicle occupants: Fatality Facts 2024.