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U.S. government fuel economy tests are used for two primary purposes: 1) to monitor automobile manufacturers’ compliance with fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards and 2) to inform consumers about the fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks. This study analyzes a unique database of 75,000 fuel economy estimates self-reported by customers of the U.S. government website www.fueleconomy.gov to evaluate the effectiveness of the government's estimates for these two purposes. The analysis shows great variability in individuals’ own fuel economy estimates relative to the official government estimates with a small bias relative to the sample average. For consumers, the primary limitation of government fuel economy estimates is imprecision for a given individual rather than bias relative to the average individual. The analysis also examines correlations between individuals’ fuel …