Compare Fuel Economy Before You Buy Fleet Vehicles

Fuel is a cost every fleet watches, and the vehicle you buy sets the starting point for years. FuelEconomy.gov, the U.S. government’s fuel-economy site, lets you compare vehicles before you sign anything. This guide explains how to use it for a small fleet. It doesn’t promise any fuel savings: your routes, loads, drivers and weather decide your results.

How do you compare vehicles on FuelEconomy.gov?

• Open Find and Compare Cars and pick the year, make and model of each candidate, or browse by vehicle class.
• Add the exact trims and engines you’re considering; ratings can differ by engine, drive type and transmission.
• Compare the city, highway and combined estimates for each one.
• Write the results next to the purchase price, so each option is compared on the same basis.

What don’t the estimates tell you?

• Your duty cycle. Official estimates come from standard tests. A van that idles at job sites or runs short stop-and-go routes may see different numbers.
• Heavier work trucks. If a heavier pickup, cab-chassis or box truck isn’t listed on FuelEconomy.gov, ask the manufacturer for its figures and label them as the manufacturer’s claim when you compare.
• Payload and towing. FuelEconomy.gov’s driving tips list extra weight among the things that affect mileage.

Which driving habits affect fuel economy?

FuelEconomy.gov’s driving tips give these estimates. We quote them as the site’s figures, not as a promise:

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by roughly 15% to 30% at highway speeds and 10% to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.

• Idling: the site says idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner use.
• Speed: it says gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph.
• Driver feedback devices: it cites research that such devices can help the average driver improve fuel economy by about 3%, and drivers using them to save fuel by about 10%.

Speed is a safety issue too: IIHS reports that around 11,000 deaths, 29% of all crash fatalities, occurred in speed-related crashes in 2024 (IIHS: Speed).

What about electric and hybrid vans?

FuelEconomy.gov also covers electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. If you’re comparing an electric van, plan charging first; see our EV fleet charging basics. For the tax side of vehicle costs, see the IRS mileage rate and fleet records.

Do tires matter?

Tire condition is a safety item first. NHTSA advises monthly pressure and tread checks; our tire safety guide has the routine.

How do you build a fair comparison sheet?

Put every candidate on one sheet with the same columns, so nothing is compared on a different basis:

• year, make, model, engine and drive type, exactly as listed on FuelEconomy.gov;
• the city, highway and combined estimates, and the date you looked them up;
• payload and towing ratings from the manufacturer, labeled as the manufacturer’s figures;
• purchase or lease price, and the expected service schedule from the owner’s information.

Pick the routes the vehicle will run most and note whether they’re mostly highway or stop-and-go, because the city and highway estimates can differ a lot.

What goes into a simple idling policy?

Because FuelEconomy.gov says idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, a simple written policy can say when engines should be off, such as while loading, during paperwork and at long stops. Keep it practical and safe for your climate and equipment, and explain the reason to your drivers instead of only setting a rule.