CAFE Standards Practice Test

The vast majority of these fuel-inefficient SUVs are equipped with "flex-fuel" technology, which makes them eligible for an exemption from CAFE standards, implemented to encourage consumer purchase of American-produced corn ethanol.

CAFE standards are not based upon the actual fuel economy of a fleet but rather the progress in fuel economy a manufacturer has made over the years. A fleet with poor fuel economy can be sold in the United States as long as the average fuel economy has improved from fleets of previous years.

SUVs are often classified as a "light truck" and are exempt from the fuel economy standards put in place for passenger vehicles.

Companies that manufacture fuel-inefficient SUVs also manufacture fuel-efficient subcompact cars, resulting in an average fleet fuel economy that meets CAFE standards.

Many of these large, fuel-inefficient SUVs were marketed and sold in the United States before CAFE standards were implemented and have thus been "grandfathered" in.