With gas prices rising to their highest levels in months, American buyers of cars, SUVs and pickups may become more fuel-efficiency-conscious as they shop for new cars. Some of the makers of large, heavy cars rank as producing those that are least fuel efficient. Their upcoming sales could flag as consumers rate gas mileage as more important than in the past.

One advantage of some of the least fuel-efficient brands is that they tend to be sold to the wealthy. The least fuel-efficient brand in January, the most recent month available based on Truecar measurements, was Land Rover. The hulking SUVs are the heaviest in their class, as well as the most expensive. The miles per gallon (MPG) rating for the brand was 16.9.

Next on the list of least fuel-efficient cars is Chrysler’s Ram brand, which sells a line of large pickups. Based on the size and use of these vehicles, Ram likely will rate at the bottom of the Truecar list indefinitely. Its average MPG was also 16.9.

Following the Ram, and in third place, was General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) GMC, which is another brand that exclusively sells heavy vehicles. In its case, it is heavy pickups and SUVs. The brand’s average MPG was 18.3.

Most of the balance of the poor fuel economy list was comprised of luxury car brands, known for heavy bodies and large engines. These included Jaguar, Cadillac, Ford Motor Co.’s (NYSE: F) Lincoln, Nissan’s Infiniti, and Porsche. At least most owners of these vehicles can afford cars and light trucks that get less than 20 MPG.

Methodology:

The goal of TrueMPG™ is to measure the actual miles per gallon of all vehicles sold in a given month. Calculations start at the trim level, taking into account EPA fuel economy data that includes engine size and drivetrain factors that affect a vehicle’s MPG ratings. TrueMPG™ aims to illustrate the actual MPG’s of each brand, manufacturer and vehicle segments to give consumers, media, and the industry a better understanding of fuel efficiency. To ascertain TrueMPG™, TrueCar.com utilizes the EPA’s average fuel economy rating using 45 percent highway and 55 percent city driving behavior. The overall industry MPG is 23.4 for January 2013.

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