Trust & Transparency
Data Sources & Official Citations
DriveCost calculations rely on authoritative U.S. government databases, empirical industry studies, and verified economic publications. Below is the complete catalog of primary sources powering our financial models.
Primary Data Sources
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — fueleconomy.gov
Dataset Used: Official EPA Fuel Economy & Energy Consumption Database (Model Years 1984 – 2026).
Metrics Extracted: City MPG, Highway MPG, Combined MPG, Energy Consumption (kWh per 100 miles), All-Electric Range (miles), and Fuel Type specifications.
Access & Citation: fueleconomy.gov/feg/download.shtml
2. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
Dataset Used: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update & Electric Power Monthly Bulletin.
Metrics Extracted: National and state-level retail gasoline prices (Regular, Midgrade, Premium, Diesel) and residential/commercial retail electricity tariffs (cents per kWh).
Access & Citation: eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/ and eia.gov/electricity/monthly/
3. U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) & Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Dataset Used: Highway Statistics Series — Annual Vehicle Distance Traveled.
Metrics Extracted: National average annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) defaults (13,500 – 15,000 miles/year per driver).
Access & Citation: fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/
4. Empirical Maintenance & Depreciation Research
Data Used: Industry publication age-banded maintenance studies and residual value depreciation curves by powertrain type.
Application: Modeling age-banded scheduled maintenance, wear items, tire replacements, and 5-year asset depreciation schedules.
Data Integrity & Correction Policy
We maintain strict data quality control. If you identify an erroneous specification or out-of-date pricing model, please notify our team via the Contact Page. All verified corrections are updated and published promptly.