U.S. Energy Information Administration reported recently that U.S. is the world’s largest exporter of motor gasoline (finished gasoline plus gasoline blending components) by supplying more than 16 percent of total global exports. U.S. motor gasoline exports in 2023 averaged 900,000 barrels per day, equivalent to about 10 percent of domestic consumption – enough to fill the tanks of more than 1.5 million SUVs per day (average tank size of 24 gallons). Other large gasoline exporters, including Singapore and Netherlands, have never exceeded 700,000 b/d in gasoline exports.
U.S. was a net importer of motor gasoline for more than a half century from 1961 to 2015. However, that trend changed during the past decade. The high volume of motor gasoline exports in recent years reflects longer trends in increasing U.S. exports of refined products in general, which set records in 2022 and 2023. The growth in U.S. refined product exports reflects several factors, including generally increasing refinery capacity from 2010 to 2023 and rising production from existing refineries through increased utilization.
Much of the increase in refinery capacity has led to higher motor gasoline yields because of added light crude oil processing units that process increasing volumes of light tight oil produced by hydraulic fracturing. And although refinery capacity has grown, U.S. consumption of gasoline has not, making more gasoline available for export. Motor gasoline accounts for the third largest share of U.S. refined product exports, behind propane and distillate fuel oil.