On September 26, 2026, President Donald Trump announced new fuel economy standards to roll back Biden-era rules, aiming to terminate what he termed an "EV mandate." The rollback reverses 2024 rules requiring a 50.4 mpg average by 2031. While Trump and Ford CEO Jim Farley argue the change will lower car prices and boost domestic manufacturing, critics like the Sierra Club and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg warn it will increase fuel costs and worsen pollution.
Comparison of fuel economy standards
- ▪Under the previous Biden administration rules finalized in 2024, automakers were required to meet a fleetwide average fuel economy standard of approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by 2031
- ▪A proposal issued by the Trump administration in December 2025 would lower the fuel economy requirement to an average of approximately 34.5 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks in model year 2031
Impact on federal electric vehicle policies
- ▪The United States Environmental Protection Agency under former President Joe Biden issued stricter fuel emissions standards in 2024 to require automakers to build more electric vehicles
- ▪President Donald Trump stated that the new fuel economy standards approved on September 26, 2026, would terminate the 2024 Biden-era electric vehicle policies, which he characterized as an "EV mandate."
Trump's arguments for the rollback
- ▪President Donald Trump claimed that rolling back the fuel economy standards would lower the prices of new cars, saving American families thousands of dollars
- ▪President Donald Trump asserted that the new fuel economy standards he approved on September 26, 2026, would encourage major automakers, including General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, to expand vehicle production and return jobs to the United States
Criticism of the rollback
- ▪Sierra Club campaign director Katherine García criticized Trump's rollback of Biden-era fuel economy standards, stating that less fuel-efficient cars would force Americans to burn more gas, spend more at the pump, and experience dirtier air
- ▪Former United States Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized Trump's decision to roll back Biden-era fuel economy standards, arguing that lowering standards would reduce manufacturing jobs, hand clean technology leadership to China, and increase consumer costs at the pump
Federal restrictions on California vehicle standards
- ▪The United States Congress in 2025 blocked California from setting its own stricter limits on car emissions
- ▪President Donald Trump in June 2026 signed three congressional resolutions that ended California's restrictive rules for diesel engines and mandates on electric vehicle sales
Debatable claims
- ▪Lowering fuel economy standards will boost American automotive manufacturing jobs
- ▪The federal government should maintain strict fuel economy standards to promote electric vehicles
- ▪Lowering fuel standards harms the global competitiveness of the US auto industry
- ▪Lowering fuel economy standards will save American consumers money
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