Our dependence upon oil, especially foreign oil, affects our economy and our national energy security.

Today, over half of the oil we use is imported (60%) and our dependence will increase as we use up domestic resources.

Most of the world's oil reserves are concentrated in the Middle East, and about two-thirds are controlled by OPEC members.

Oil price shocks and price manipulation by OPEC have cost our economy dearly—about $7 trillion from 1979 to 2000 cost the U.S. economy—and each major price shock was followed by a recession. With growing U.S. imports and increasing world dependence on OPEC oil, future price shocks are possible and would be costly to the U.S. economy.

Ultimately, the solution to this problem lies in technological progress:

• Developing advanced vehicle technologies that use energy more efficiently
• Creating new energy sources that can replace petroleum cleanly and inexpensively

You can help improve our energy security by selecting a vehicle that uses less petroleum. Each vehicle in our Find and Compare Cars section has an Energy Impact Score that shows the amount of petroleum it uses each year.