Cars Are Getting Cleaner, Saving Drivers Money, Report Shows

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – A new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that cars and pickup trucks are getting dramatically cleaner, spewing less carbon, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants from their tailpipes.

The EPA’s 50th Annual Automotive Trends Report, shows that fuel efficiency has reached a record high while carbon emissions are at a record low. In addition, sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles all reached record levels in model year 2023—and are on track to jump again in model year 2024.

The following is a comment from Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

"With record sales of cleaner vehicles and dramatic reductions in the pollution harming our lungs, it’s clear that the current vehicle policies are working as advertised. Thanks to incentives and standards, we now have the cleanest cars ever. And cleaner, more efficient vehicles mean drivers pay less at the pump.

“But more money in drivers’ pockets means less profit for Big Oil. The oil industry is gearing up to try to wreck these policies, but this report shows that we should stay on the road we are on. Cleaner vehicles are here, and that’s good news for all of us."  

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).