What year did they stop putting carburetors in cars?
By around 1990–1992, virtually all new cars had moved from carburetors to electronic fuel injection (EFI).
Carburetors dominated gasoline engines for most of the 20th century, but tightening emissions rules and advances in fuel-management technology pushed automakers toward EFI. The transition happened gradually, with simpler fuel-injection systems appearing in the 1980s and becoming standard in most major markets by the early 1990s. A handful of niche or low-volume models lingered a bit longer, but carburetors largely disappeared from new cars in mainstream production.
Timeline: how the switch unfolded
Key milestones illustrate the gradual replacement of carburetors with EFI across the industry.
- 1970s–1980s: Emissions standards push automakers to improve fuel control; EFI begins to appear on select models.
- Mid-to-late 1980s: Throttle-body injection (a simpler form of EFI) becomes common as a transitional technology.
- Late 1980s–early 1990s: Multi-point EFI becomes standard on most passenger cars in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
- 1990–1992: The vast majority of new cars use EFI; carburetors become rare in mainstream production.
In summary, the transition spanned roughly a decade and a half, with the early 1990s marking the end of carburetors in new cars across major markets.
Regional notes
United States
The U.S. market led the march toward EFI, with most manufacturers phasing out carburetors by model year 1990–1992. By the early 1990s, EFI was standard on nearly all new passenger vehicles, and carburetors became a rarity outside of very niche or low-volume models.
Europe and other regions
Europe and Japan followed a similar trajectory, though timing varied slightly by model and manufacturer. By the early 1990s, EFI had become the norm in most新-car offerings, and carburetors were largely obsolete in new models across these markets as well. Exceptions existed in limited markets or for certain specialty vehicles, but they were uncommon.
What this means today
Today, carburetors are essentially extinct in new passenger cars. They survive mainly in very old stock, classic-car restorations, or in some non-automotive applications (like small engines or lawn equipment). Modern vehicles rely on sophisticated EFI and, increasingly, advanced fuel-management technologies such as direct injection and turbocharged systems for efficiency and emissions control.
Summary
Carburetors effectively ended as the standard for new cars in the early 1990s, with EFI becoming the industry norm by 1990–1992 in major markets. While a few exceptions persisted for niche reasons, the mainstream automotive world had largely abandoned carburetors by the end of that era.
