If good gas mileage is higher on your priority list than it used to be, you aren't alone.

Consumer interest in fuel economy has been growing lately, so much so that car makers have adjusted their lineups to give car shoppers a wider selection of gas-saving cars including traditional subcompacts, hybrids and even electric-powered models.

Of course the auto companies aren't doing this just for the sake of drivers. They are turning out more fuel-efficient vehicles because they have to in order to meet stricter federal rules regarding corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, which judges a car maker by the fuel efficiency of its overall fleet. That's the big reason why car shoppers are seeing more new small cars and a rapidly widening field of hybrids.

So far the changes seem to be working. The average fuel economy for cars sold in the U.S. in March rose to 22 miles per gallon from 21.2 mpg for the same period a year earlier, according to TrueCar.com, a research and forecasting company.

"Gas prices had a significant impact on consumer's buying behavior in March as shoppers continue to choose vehicles that provide better fuel economy," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Industry Trends and Insights at TrueCar.com. Toprak also said domestic car companies have come especially far, increasing their year-over-year average by almost two miles per gallon.