Automotive engines are changing in two directions at once: U.S. new vehicles use smaller gasoline engines with more technology, while electric-car sales are expanding globally. The statistics below separate new-vehicle production from vehicles already in circulation and distinguish observed values, estimates and forecasts.
Key Automotive Engine Statistics
The most useful headline figures include:
- In MY1975, U.S. new gasoline-engine vehicles averaged 6.8 cylinders.
- In preliminary MY2024 data, U.S. new gasoline-engine vehicles averaged 4.7 cylinders.
- Average gasoline-engine displacement fell from 293 cubic inches in MY1975 to 158 CID in preliminary MY2024 in the U.S. production-weighted series.
- Average U.S. new-vehicle horsepower was 137 hp in MY1975 and 266 hp in MY2023.
- Variable valve timing rose from 23.1% of U.S. gasoline-engine production in MY1990 to 83.2% in preliminary MY2024.
- Cylinder deactivation reached 49.2% of U.S. gasoline-engine production in preliminary MY2024.
- Gasoline-engine turbocharging rose from 1.2% of U.S. production in MY2000 to 44.4% in preliminary MY2024.
- Average real-world fuel economy reached 27.2 mpg for U.S. new light-duty vehicles in MY2024.
- MY2024 average U.S. new-vehicle fuel economy was 41% higher than in MY2004.
- In MY2024, trucks represented 66% of U.S. new light-duty vehicles under NHTSA classifications.
- Battery-electric vehicles represented 30% of U.S. new car-SUV production in MY2024.
- The EU had more than 252 million passenger cars in operation in 2022.
- Battery-electric cars represented 1.2% of the EU passenger-car fleet in 2022.
- Diesel powered 96% of EU trucks in operation in 2022.
- The average EU passenger car was 12.3 years old in 2022.
- Global electric-car sales exceeded 17 million vehicles in 2024.
- Electric cars exceeded 20% of global car sales in 2024.
- China sold more than 11 million electric cars in 2024.
- The IEA forecast global electric-car sales would exceed 20 million in 2025.
- Under stated policies, the IEA projected electric cars would exceed 40% of global car sales by 2030.
Contents
- Automotive engine size, cylinders and horsepower over time
- Automotive engine technology adoption in new vehicles
- Automotive engine efficiency, power and emissions trends
- European fleet powertrain statistics
- Automotive engine electrification and global sales
- Vehicle age, fleet scale and automotive engine context
Automotive Engine Size, Cylinders and Horsepower Over Time
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s production-weighted gasoline-engine series shows a long decline in cylinder count and displacement. These are new-vehicle measures, not the average engine in every vehicle currently on the road.
| Model year | Average cylinders | Average displacement |
|---|---|---|
| MY1975 | 6.8 | 293 CID |
| MY1980 | 5.6 | — |
| MY2005 | — | 205 CID |
| MY2015 | 5.0 | — |
| Preliminary MY2024 | 4.7 | 158 CID |
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report. The gasoline-engine figures include hybrids and PHEVs, and preliminary MY2024 values are estimates.
Average new-vehicle horsepower followed a different path. It fell from 137 hp in MY1975 to 102 hp in MY1981, then reached 266 hp in MY2023, according to the EPA’s historical fleet trend; that horsepower series covers all powertrains.
This combination—smaller average gasoline engines alongside higher average vehicle horsepower—describes changing powertrain engineering, but it does not mean every engine became more powerful or efficient. Vehicle mix and electrification affect the fleet average.
Automotive Engine Technology Adoption in New Vehicles
Technology penetration provides a clearer view of how engine design changed than displacement alone. The EPA reports these shares relative to gasoline-engine production unless otherwise noted.
| Technology | Earlier measurement | Preliminary MY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Variable valve timing | 23.1% in MY1990 | 83.2% |
| Cylinder deactivation | 15.0% in MY2000 | 49.2% |
| Turbocharging | 1.2% in MY2000 | 44.4% |
| Non-hybrid stop/start | 0.8% in MY2005 | 13.3% |
Source: 2024 EPA Automotive Trends Report. Stop/start figures exclude hybrids and PHEVs; all preliminary MY2024 values are estimates.
Variable valve timing increased to 83.2% of gasoline-engine production in preliminary MY2024 data, compared with 23.1% in MY1990. Cylinder deactivation reached 49.2%, while turbocharging reached 44.4% in the same preliminary model year.
These percentages measure production penetration, not the share of engines operating on the road. They also describe gasoline-engine technology specifically, so they should not be read as the complete technology mix of all newly sold vehicles.
Automotive Engine Efficiency, Power and Emissions Trends
EPA highlights report an estimated 27.2 mpg average real-world fuel economy for U.S. new light-duty vehicles in MY2024, a record in that series. The MY2024 average was 41% higher than the MY2004 level.
The comparison is sensitive to powertrain mix. Without battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, EPA estimated MY2024 average fuel economy would have been 1.7 mpg lower, while average power would have been 13 hp lower and average vehicle weight 72 pounds lower.
| MY2024 U.S. measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| New light-duty real-world fuel economy | 27.2 mpg |
| Car share under NHTSA classification | 34% |
| Truck share under NHTSA classification | 66% |
| Truck-SUV fuel economy | 25.7 mpg |
| Honda estimated fleet fuel economy | 31.0 mpg |
Source: EPA Highlights of the Automotive Trends Report. Car and truck shares use regulatory NHTSA classifications, not ordinary body-style sales categories.
Truck-SUV fuel economy increased 1.0 mpg to 25.7 mpg in MY2024. Within car SUVs, BEVs represented 30% and PHEVs 3% of production; EPA estimated that those vehicles increased car-SUV fuel economy by 9.0 mpg.
Honda’s MY2024 estimated real-world fleet fuel economy was 31.0 mpg. That is a manufacturer fleet estimate, not a measurement of one Honda engine model.
European Fleet Powertrain Statistics
New-engine adoption and in-use fleet composition measure different stages of the transition. ACEA reported more than 252 million passenger cars in the EU in 2022, with the passenger-car fleet growing 1% from 2021 to 2022.
| EU vehicle category, 2022 | Dominant or alternative powertrain share |
|---|---|
| Passenger cars: battery-electric | 1.2% of fleet |
| Light-commercial vehicles: diesel | 90.7% |
| Light-commercial vehicles: battery-electric | 0.8% |
| Trucks: diesel | 96% |
| Trucks: zero-emission | 0.1% |
| Buses: diesel | 90.5% |
| Buses: battery-electric | 1.9% |
| Buses: hybrid-electric | 2.0% |
Source: ACEA, Vehicles on European Roads. These are vehicles in circulation in 2022, not annual registrations, and categories are not interchangeable across vehicle types.
The figures show why fleet turnover matters. Battery-electric shares were still small in the existing EU fleet, particularly for vans and heavy trucks, even as electric-car sales were becoming more significant in newer registrations.
Automotive Engine Electrification and Global Sales
The International Energy Agency reported that global electric-car sales exceeded 17 million in 2024, more than 20% of worldwide car sales. Compared with 2023, 2024 added 3.5 million electric-car sales.
| Region | 2024 electric-car result | 2025 IEA forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | More than 17 million; over 20% of sales | More than 20 million; over 25% |
| China | More than 11 million; almost half of sales | Around 60% of sales |
| Europe | Around 20% of sales | — |
| United States | — | 11% of sales |
Source: IEA, Global EV Outlook 2025 Executive Summary. The IEA’s electric-car definition includes battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars where stated.
China accounted for more than 11 million electric-car sales in 2024, when electric cars represented almost half of Chinese car sales. Europe’s electric-car share was around 20% of sales, while the IEA projected a U.S. share of 11% in 2025.
The IEA forecast more than 20 million global electric-car sales and a share above one-quarter in 2025. It also projected China near 60% in 2025 and electric cars above 40% of global sales by 2030 under stated policies; these are forecasts or policy scenarios, not observed outcomes.
Vehicle Age, Fleet Scale and Automotive Engine Context
The scale of the installed fleet helps explain why new-engine statistics do not immediately describe the vehicles people use. In 2022, the EU had 30.2 million vans, nearly 6.5 million medium and heavy commercial vehicles, and 720,783 buses in operation.
France alone had 6.3 million vans in circulation in 2022. EU medium and heavy commercial vehicles increased 1.9% from 2021 to 2022.
| EU fleet category, 2022 | Vehicles in operation | Average age |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger cars | More than 252 million | 12.3 years |
| Light-commercial vehicles | 30.2 million | 12.5 years |
| Trucks | Included in nearly 6.5 million medium/heavy vehicles | 13.9 years |
| Buses | 720,783 | 12.5 years |
Source: ACEA, Vehicles on European Roads. Fleet counts and ages describe vehicles in operation in 2022.
EU cars averaged 574 passenger cars per 1,000 inhabitants in 2022. That density measure describes vehicle presence relative to population; it is not a measure of engine ownership, annual sales or engine performance.
The average ages—12.3 years for passenger cars, 12.5 for light-commercial vehicles, 13.9 for trucks and 12.5 for buses—also show why legacy gasoline and diesel engines remain important alongside fast-growing electric-car sales.