Light vehicle sales by fuel type in the U.S. 2022

Light trucks with a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine (ICE) were the most popular type of light vehicle in the United States. Here, gasoline ICE light trucks had an estimated market share of about 54.24 percent in 2022.

The current state of the U.S. market

Light trucks represent most of the vehicle sales in the United States, making it the best-selling vehicle type in the country. However, light vehicle retail sales dropped in 2022, down to 13.75 million units. This 7.98 percent drop brought retail sales lower than the volume recorded in 2020, amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Motor vehicle production in the U.S. had started to recover in 2021, with the country’s output rising by just under four percent between 2020 and 2021. However supply chain shortages led to challenges for the industry. The manufacturing sector's slow recovery was in part due to the global automotive semiconductor shortage, which impacted the industry through 2021 and 2022.

The sustainable vehicle market

Preliminary figures for vehicles from the model year 2021 single out pickup trucks as the type of vehicle with the highest carbon dioxide emission levels, followed by vans. The overall CO₂ emissions of new light-duty vehicles have decreased since 2017, but remain over 270 grams per mile for all vehicle types, with Sedans recording the lowest emission levels. Incentives to switch to alternative fuels with lower emission levels in the U.S. can include the annual fuel cost for light-duty vehicles, with all-electric vehicles recording the lowest fuel costs between 500 and 850 U.S. dollars per year as of 2021. However, the cost of fueling hybrid vehicles could climb higher than the cost of diesel-powered units. That same year, one in fifth states was considered an accessible market for consumers wishing to own an electric vehicle.