⛽ Americans drove more miles — and used less gasoline

📰 News Explorer April 10, 2026 · U.S. Energy Information Administration announcement See the announcement (external)

Those two things sound impossible together. They happened anyway, and the reason is a number most people never look at.

✅ What we know (fact)

In 2025 Americans drove 1.2% more miles than the year before — but used 1% less gasoline, averaging 8.9 million barrels a day.

Basis: U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Increasing fuel efficiency leads to decreasing gasoline consumption” (April 10, 2026)

✅ What we know (fact)

The missing piece is fuel efficiency: how far a car goes on the same amount of gas. It improved 1.9% in 2025 — more than enough to cancel out the extra driving.

Basis: Same EIA article

✅ What we know (fact)

Compared with 2019, gasoline use is down 4%. EIA expects it to keep falling through 2026 and 2027, as fuel economy keeps improving and the growth in miles driven slows down.

Basis: Same EIA article

Two numbers moved in opposite directions and a third one explained it. Where else might a headline be missing its third number?

📊 Sources for the rankings mentioned in this note (links to the original data and retrieval dates) are on each quiz page below.

🎯 Check it in the connected quizzes

Where are there the most vehicles per driver? 🚙 Which state has the most miles of road? 🛣️ Where is the longest ride to work? 🚗