You can't directly compare EU versus US mileage numbers.[1] A lot of conversions from liters per mile to miles per gallon use UK gallons, which are 1.2x larger

You can't directly compare EU versus US mileage numbers.[1] A lot of conversions from liters per mile to miles per gallon use UK gallons, which are 1.2x larger than US gallons. Also the EU mileage tests are less taxing on vehicles and easier to game. In actual driving you're unlikely to hit EPA numbers, and there's almost no way to get to the EU numbers. Typically, European cars get 30-45% higher fuel consumption than their test ratings.[2] The gap has gotten bigger as car manufacturers have gotten better at gaming the test. There's no special technology in EU cars that makes them get better mileage than their US counterparts. Europeans just tend to drive smaller vehicles, many of which wouldn't pass crash tests in the US. For example, the Smart Fortwo had to be increased in length to pass US crash tests. 1. https://www.businessinsider.com/why-european-gas-mileage-ratings-are-inflated-2014-5 https://www.businessinsider.com/why-european-gas-mileage-rat... 2. https://theicct.org/press-release-gap-between-reported-and-actual-fuel-economy-higher-than-ever-before/ https://theicct.org/press-release-gap-between-reported-and-a...