The least fuel-efficient vehicles introduced each year since 1975
Plenty of vintage vehicles have aged like fine wine—and appreciated in value, too. But their fuel efficiency? It's lacking in a world where the average vehicle now gets 25 or more miles for every gallon of fuel.
CheapInsurance.com used data from the Environmental Protection Agency to find the least fuel-efficient car and truck for every model year since 1975. Years represent the model year, and the EPA determined the most fuel-efficient vehicles by their overall miles per gallon. Cars include sedans, while trucks include pickups, truck SUVs, vans, and minivans.
The least fuel-efficient vehicles of the last five decades are a who's who of sexy luxury sedans and high-performance coupes like the Lamborghini Countach. In terms of trucks, Dodge's pickup trucks and cargo and conversion vans earn a number of spots on this ranking.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rolled out regulations for automakers in 1975 requiring them to advertise the fuel efficiency of each of their vehicles, also known as fuel economy. Regulations like these, coupled with requirements that manufacturers reduce emissions, stemmed from dense smog that strangled urban areas like Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the decades since, regulations have significantly curbed vehicle emissions, which have been scientifically proven to contribute to our changing climate. Typical vehicle CO2 emissions have gone from 661 grams per mile in 1975 to 256 grams per mile in 2022, according to EPA data.
And to give a sense of how far manufacturers have come in terms of fuel economy, the typical fuel economy of a vehicle today is double what it was in 1975. Based on February 2023 urban gas prices, that efficiency saves drivers about $13 per 100 miles. Yet even today's vehicle lineup includes a few vehicles that just don't move the needle in terms of getting more bang for your buck at the gas pump.
Read on to see which vehicles burned the most gas just to take passengers a couple of miles throughout recent history.
