New vehicles sold in the month of August averaged 25.8 miles per gallon, the highest fuel-economy rating ever for new cars. Compared with October 2007, fuel economy ratings on new cars sold has improved by 5.7 miles per gallon, or more than 28%.

The data is based on the average sales-weighted fuel-economy rating printed on a new car’s window sticker and is compiled by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute.

The sales-weighted unadjusted Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) performance rating averaged 31.3 miles per gallon in August, up 6.6 mpg since October 2007. These values are not directly comparable to the window-sticker ratings because these are adjusted by the EPA and used to derive the window-sticker ratings.

Manufacturers’ improvements in fuel economy ratings (driven by government policy in most cases) is a fundamental and permanent change in America, similar to changes in the use of public transportation, increases in telecommuting and changes in the age composition of drivers. U.S. demand for gasoline is expected to continue to decline as automakers work toward the fleet mileage mandated average of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

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