The American vehicle market has changed so dramatically that a surprising statistic now describes the majority of new vehicles sold in the country: two-thirds of them are legally classified as trucks for federal fuel-economy regulatory purposes.
According to the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Automotive Trends Report, which uses National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Corporate Average Fuel Economy classifications, 66% of all new vehicles produced for model year 2024 were classified as trucks, while 34% were classified as cars.
The figure represents an all-time high for the truck regulatory category. It does not mean 66% of Americans are buying traditional pickups. The federal definition is considerably broader. It includes pickups, vans, minivans, and a large portion of SUVs.
Some SUVs are classified as cars, while others are classified as trucks depending on their configuration and regulatory characteristics. That distinction is essential to understanding how the American market reached this point.
The EPA says the long-term production trend has moved strongly away from sedans and wagons and toward SUVs, pickups, and other vehicles that fall within the truck category. In 1975, sedan and wagon models represented more than 80% of new-vehicle production. By 2024, their share had fallen below 25%.
The result is an automotive market in which the traditional passenger car is no longer the dominant form of transportation in new-vehicle production.
What “Truck” Means Under Federal Regulations
The phrase “legally trucks” needs some explanation because federal regulatory classifications do not always match what consumers see on a dealership lot.
Under NHTSA’s CAFE regulations, light-duty vehicles are separated into two broad regulatory classes: passenger cars and light trucks. These classifications determine which fuel-economy standards apply to a vehicle.
According to the EPA, pickups, vans, and minivans are classified as light trucks, while sedans, coupes, and wagons are generally classified as passenger cars. SUVs are more complicated because they can fall into either category depending on their characteristics. (epa.gov)
The classification can depend on factors such as drivetrain, ground clearance, approach and departure angles, cargo-carrying configuration, and weight.
The EPA explains that SUVs with four-wheel drive or those exceeding a 6,000-pound gross vehicle weight threshold are generally regulated as trucks. Some lighter two-wheel-drive SUVs can instead fall under the passenger-car category, depending on their design. (epa.gov)
That means two vehicles that look very similar to a consumer can technically fall into different regulatory classes.
This distinction becomes particularly important because SUVs now dominate new-vehicle production.
The EPA’s 2025 Automotive Trends Report says SUVs accounted for approximately 60% of all new vehicles produced in 2024 when both car SUVs and truck SUVs are combined. Truck SUVs alone approached half of total new-vehicle production. That is a remarkable transformation from the market of the 1970s.
The EPA says SUVs represented only a very small portion of production in 1975. Sedan and wagon models, meanwhile, accounted for more than 80% of vehicles produced. By 2016, SUVs had passed sedans and wagons in production for the first time.
The shift accelerated as consumers increasingly replaced traditional cars with crossovers and SUVs. But not every SUV is automatically a truck under federal rules.
The EPA separates SUVs into car SUVs and truck SUVs. Some SUVs therefore remain classified as passenger cars.
In 2024, truck SUVs accounted for almost 50% of all new-vehicle production, while pickups added roughly 15%, and minivans and vans represented less than 3%. Those figures explain why the truck regulatory category has become so dominant.
How America Shifted From Cars to SUVs
The rise of the truck category is fundamentally a story about consumer preference. In the 1970s, the American market was dominated by sedans, coupes, station wagons, and other passenger cars. Trucks were primarily associated with commercial work, towing, and customers who genuinely needed pickup capability.
That began changing in the 1980s and accelerated through the 1990s. SUVs became increasingly popular as family vehicles. Buyers wanted more cargo capacity, higher seating positions, available four-wheel drive, and greater utility without necessarily purchasing a traditional pickup.
Historical EPA data illustrates just how dramatically the SUV market expanded. In 1975, SUVs accounted for less than 2 percent of new light duty vehicle sales. By the early 2000s, that share had climbed to more than 25 percent.
Automakers discovered that consumers were willing to pay more for larger vehicles with additional space, capability, and features. Manufacturers consequently expanded their SUV lineups while reducing the number of traditional passenger cars.
Today, nearly every major manufacturer offers multiple SUVs, while several have dramatically reduced or eliminated traditional sedan models from their U.S. lineups.
The EPA’s data show that sedan and wagon production has fallen below one-quarter of the market. Their share in 2024 was less than one-third of what it was in 1975.
Pickups have also remained important. The EPA says pickup production reached a high of 19% of the market in 1994, declined to around 10% in 2012, and has hovered around 15% in recent years.
The biggest change, therefore, has not been an explosion in traditional pickup sales. It has been the enormous growth of SUVs, particularly those that qualify as trucks under federal regulations. That shift also has consequences for fuel economy.
The EPA says overall fuel-economy trends depend not only on improvements within individual vehicle types but also on the mix of vehicles being produced. Historically, sedan and wagon models tended to deliver higher fuel economy than truck SUVs and pickups.
As consumers moved toward larger vehicles, that market shift offset some efficiency gains achieved within individual vehicle categories. The market shift has also influenced vehicle weight and horsepower.
According to the EPA, average new-vehicle weight reached approximately 4,354 pounds in model year 2024, about 6% above its 2004 level. From 1981 to 2004, average new-vehicle weight had already increased 28%, reaching 4,111 pounds, with the growing truck share contributing to that increase.
At the same time, average horsepower climbed dramatically. EPA data show average horsepower increasing from 102 hp in 1981 to 258 hp in 2024.
Why the 66% Figure Matters
The fact that 66% of 2024 new vehicles were classified as trucks has consequences beyond a technical government statistic.
The classification affects the regulatory standards manufacturers must meet under the federal CAFE system. Cars and light trucks have historically been subject to different fuel-economy requirements.
The distinction also helps explain why the American market can simultaneously become larger and more powerful while continuing to improve fuel economy.
Manufacturers are producing increasingly sophisticated SUVs and pickups with turbocharged engines, hybrid systems, improved transmissions, and electric powertrains.
The EPA reports that battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles have become increasingly important to fleet efficiency. In 2024, BEVs represented approximately 7% of new production. The agency calculated that without BEVs and PHEVs, average new-vehicle fuel economy would have been 1.7 mpg lower.
This illustrates how the meaning of a “truck” has changed. A vehicle classified as a truck for CAFE purposes may be a three-row family SUV, electric crossover, or luxury utility vehicle rather than a conventional work truck.
The classification is therefore a regulatory category, not a statement that the vehicle is designed primarily for hauling or commercial work.
That distinction is particularly important when discussing the 66% figure. Saying that two-thirds of new vehicles are “trucks” can create the impression that America’s roads are suddenly filled with traditional pickups. The data do not support that interpretation.
Instead, America’s new-vehicle market has become dominated by SUVs and other utility-oriented vehicles, many of which fall within the federal light-truck classification.
The transformation has been gradual but profound. In 2023, 62% of new vehicles were classified as trucks under the EPA’s light-duty regulatory definitions. In 2024, that share increased to 66%, setting a new high.
That four-percentage-point increase is significant because the truck category was already dominant. The EPA says truck SUVs alone accounted for almost half of production in 2024, while sedan and wagon production continued to decline.
For automakers, the SUV and truck-oriented market is no longer a temporary trend. It has become the foundation of the U.S. new-vehicle business.
For consumers, it means the traditional passenger car is increasingly becoming the exception rather than the norm.
And for regulators, the shift creates a complicated challenge. The government is attempting to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions while the market continues moving toward larger vehicles with different efficiency characteristics.
Modern technology is helping reconcile those competing demands. Today’s vehicles are considerably more powerful and heavier than previous generations while also achieving substantially better fuel economy than earlier fleets. But the market’s composition still matters.
The 66% truck classification in 2024 is ultimately a measurement of how dramatically American vehicle preferences have changed. It does not mean two-thirds of new vehicles are traditional pickups. It means that under NHTSA’s regulatory definitions, most of America’s new light-duty vehicles now fall into the light-truck category.
SUVs are the biggest reason. What began decades ago as a niche market has become the dominant form of new-vehicle transportation in America. With truck SUVs alone approaching half of all new production, the era when sedans defined the American automotive market is now firmly in the past.
