U.S. Gasoline Consumption
U.S. Gasoline ConsumptionExplore U.S. gasoline use trends with yearly, monthly, and daily data. Learn about groundbreaking research on "Gasoline Superusers".
In 2023, gasoline use in the U.S. totaled 137.05 billion gallons of finished motor gasoline, or about 376 million gallons per day.
This is up about 2% from the amount of gasoline consumed by Americans in 2022.
US Gasoline Consumption by Year
U.S. gasoline consumption was 137.05 billion gallons in 2023. This is up from 2022 when Americans used 134.55 billion gallons. The record-high level of finished motor gasoline consumption in the U.S. was about 143.08 billion gallons per day in 2018.
The EIA has been tracking the annual U.S. Product Supplied of Finished Motor Gasoline since 1945.
US Gasoline Consumption By Month
U.S. gasoline consumption averaged 11.42 billion gallons per month in 2023. This is up almost 2% from 11.21 billion gallons per month in 2022.
US Gasoline Consumption Per Day
U.S. gasoline consumption averaged 376 million gallons per day in 2023. This is up almost 2% from about 368.63 million gallons per day in 2022.
US Gasoline Consumption Compared To The Rest Of The World
The U.S. is by far the biggest gasoline user on the planet, consuming almost 35% of the world’s gasoline.
Driving America’s stratospheric gasoline use is drivers in the top 10% in terms of their gasoline consumption (“Gasoline Superusers”).
Gasoline Superusers collectively consume 35% of all gasoline used by US private light-duty vehicles. On average, they spend 10% of their household income—around $530 per month—on gasoline. Annually, Gasoline Superusers consume 40 billion gallons out of the 115 billion gallons used by all U.S. private light-duty vehicles. Their gasoline consumption totals more than that of the bottom 72% of drivers combined.
US Gasoline Consumption Map
Interested in learning more about gasoline consumption in the U.S.? Use Coltura’s interactive gasoline consumption map showing demographic insights and vehicle data from the state level down to the census block group level.
Pollution From US Gasoline Consumption
In 2022, the U.S. transportation sector's gasoline and diesel use in the U.S. released roughly 1,476 million metric tons of CO2, making up about 30% of the country's energy-related CO2 emissions. U.S. gasoline consumption alone contributed to 2.8% of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
The environmental impact of gasoline and its source, crude oil, occurs throughout gasoline’s entire life cycle. This includes the damage caused by oil exploration and extraction, transporting the oil, refining it into gasoline, storing it in underground tanks at gas stations, and ultimately burning it in vehicles.
Learn more gasoline facts.
New Groundbreaking Data to Understand US Gasoline Consumption
Coltura’s Cracking the Gasoline Code Report is the first detailed examination of gasoline consumption in the U.S. at a granular level. It highlights important trends that emphasize the need to improve our electric vehicle (EV) policies to be more efficient, effective, and fair.
The report shows that gasoline consumption isn't decreasing significantly and is not dropping quickly enough to meet our climate goals. Analyzing gasoline consumption data is essential for developing better policies to ensure cleaner vehicles reach the families who need them the most.
The Problem with Conventional Gasoline Data
Until the release of Gasoline Superusers 3.0, detailed gasoline consumption data showing which drivers are using the most gasoline, where, in what types of vehicles, and for what purposes has not been available to guide policies.
Instead, governments have relied on broad state and national aggregate gasoline supply data sourced from weekly oil industry reports on barrels of gasoline supplied by refineries.
These aggregated numbers obscure significant differences in gasoline consumption among American drivers and lead to the widespread and faulty assumption that every EV displaces an "average" amount of gasoline.
US Gasoline Consumption Policies
To accelerate the reduction of gasoline use, governments should establish ambitious gasoline reduction goals and implement data-driven programs. Gasoline consumption data should inform transportation policies, outreach efforts, and educational campaigns to speed up the shift away from gasoline.
The Gasoline Superusers report emphasizes using gasoline consumption data to hasten the transition of high-consuming users to cleaner vehicles. Detailed gasoline use data also presents various other opportunities for reducing consumption. For instance, the total gasoline volumes attributed to specific vehicle models could influence federal fuel efficiency standards. Governments could also procure shared mobility services based on the amount of gasoline saved.
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Our nonprofit is laser-focused on reducing gasoline use as quickly as possible.
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