Why New Vehicles Are Bigger, Heavier, And More Powerful Than Ever Before
Vehicles getting larger and larger is a well-known phenomenon, with even modern small city cars being the size of family hatchbacks from 20 or 30 years ago. There are a multitude of reasons for this (mostly people want the latest to be bigger and better than the last), but there are other interesting trends that have gone hand in hand with the ever-increasing size of cars.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently unveiled some fascinating research into the trends in road cars across the past 50 years, which illustrates exactly how the industry has progressed during this period. CarBuzz decided to look into the data and work out why vehicles have trended in the way they have.
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This feature focuses on the data released by the EPA regarding the increase in weight, size, power and fuel efficiency of new cars on average across the past 50 years. All data used during the article was sourced from trusted providers such as industry research facilities.
Economy And Power Have Grown Equally
How Average Power, Weight, And Efficiency Figures Have Developed Since 1975
|
Year |
1975 |
1985 |
1995 |
2005 |
2015 |
2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Power |
0% |
-20% |
12.5% |
55% |
68% |
90% |
|
Fuel Efficiency |
0% |
60% |
55% |
50% |
87.5% |
110% |
|
Weight |
0% |
-20% |
-10% |
0% |
0% |
10% |
The most eye-opening stat made clear by the EPAs data is that cars are over 100% more fuel efficient in 2025 than they were back in 1975, showing just how far engine technology has come since then. The average level of power produced by vehicles has increased by nearly as much, with current cars in the USA making around 95% more grunt on average than they did back in 1975.
This was around the time when the US government decided to focus on having its cars produce fewer emissions, so it introduced legislation that forced manufacturers to restrict the power of their engines to produce fewer greenhouse gases. Power levels were thus reduced significantly across the board compared to the 1960s, though emissions improved. The effects of this are illustrated in the EPAs chart, with fuel efficiency improving by around 60% in just five years by 1980. Power went the other way, with cars having around 25% less of it by 1980.
From that point on, average power figures started a consistent uptick in form, rising from -25% to the current 95%. Fuel efficiency did the same, other than a brief drop in the late 1980s and 1990s. The average weight of vehicles also increased in parallel to these two aspects, but to a much smaller extent. Cars were around 20% lighter in 1980 than they had been five years earlier, though they have steadily been growing in mass since. As of 2025, cars are around 10% heavier than they were in 1975.
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Rise Of SUVs Affected Push For Fuel Efficiency
The drop in fuel efficiency during the late 1980s and 1990s, which saw the average go from 70% in 1985 to just under 50% by 2005, was largely due to the rise of the SUV. To move a big hunk of metal, you need a big engine.
The advent of more efficient engines, such as hybrids, during the mid-2000s has helped to tip the balance back in the way of greater fuel economy once more, and it’s currently standing at 110% compared to 1975.
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Efficiency And Power Figures Grew In Unison
Normally, you’d think that the more power an engine has, the less efficient it will be. With performance-geared engines, that is usually the case, though the advancement of powerplant tech over the past several decades has seen power levels grow at a largely similar level to fuel efficiency. Automakers spent much of the final part of the 20th century finding a way to make engines as efficient as possible to help reduce emissions.
The most prominent trend was downsizing and turbocharging, which are still the main tactics used to this day. As you may know, Dodge is slowly getting rid of all the V8s in its range, and these engines are being replaced with the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six Hurricane engine.
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Weight Gains Come Due To Safety Legislation Developments
As far as the consistent weight and car footprint increases – the latter having increased by about 5% since 2005 – they mainly come down to the improvement in vehicle safety. New safety technology such as airbags, crumple zones, and generally stronger construction techniques all add weight, and as more of these systems have been added to vehicles, the average weight figures have steadily risen.
Over the past few years, the increase in EVs has further pushed the average weight of new cars up. The batteries and motor systems used in EVs are significantly heavier than the internal combustion engine systems used in conventional cars, which has further swelled the average weight figure in recent years.
The Weight Of Cars Stand A Decent Chance Of Reducing In Future
Why Vehicle Weights Have Increased Over Time
- Development of ever more life-saving but heavy safety systems
- Modern technology such as electric propulsion brings along more weight than traditional pure ICE powertrains
While the average fuel efficiency and power figures of vehicles will likely keep growing going forward as further technological advancements are made, there is a solid chance that the average weight figures could start to drop. With EVs having an ever larger effect on the average figures, they should start to help lower average weight as their considerable powertrains are made lighter and more compact over time. The next big step forward will be solid-state batteries, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
Hybrid cars, which are also pretty weighty due to having an ICE and an electric powertrain, should also gain from these improvements. Due to the continued push for safety, as well as interior space and comfort, it’s doubtful that the overall footprints of vehicles will begin shrinking anytime soon.
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Vehicle Manufacturers’ Quest To Reduce CO2 Emissions Is The Key To These Trends
The increase in fuel efficiency and power in new cars, as well as their ever-increasing weight, is purely down in the battle to reduce CO2 emissions and help preserve our planet. For the good of the world, the war is being won, and dramatically. According to the EPA, the average CO2 gram/mile figure sat at nearly 700, a figure which was likely even worse during the height of the 1960s muscle car wars.
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The advent of ever-cleaner engines has seen this figure drop dramatically since the mid-1970s, with the average being around 400 g/mi just ten years later. Average CO2 emissions increased to around 450 by around 2005, something that can be put down to the increase in vehicles like SUVs and larger engines becoming more readily available. However, like the fuel efficiency figures, the development of more frugal and clean engines has seen the figure drop sharply since, with the figure dropping to as low as 319 g/mi by 2023.
As non-electrified vehicles continue to be phased out, despite brands trying to keep them around, we can expect this figure to drop even more in the coming years. With ‘efficiency’ and ‘environmentally friendly’ being buzzwords these days, it’s difficult to ever see a time when any of the figures explored during this piece will be allowed to drop away again. On the contrary, it will be fascinating to see just how far these battling giants can push this new and exciting tech over the following decades.
