Trump says he approved lower fuel-economy standards that end a Biden EV push

Under CAFE, a brand that sells an inefficient vehicle must also sell a more efficient one.

Automakers have increased electric-vehicle production to help meet the Biden fuel-economy requirements.

Trump presented the policy change as a boon for automakers and consumers.

The change would fulfill a Trump campaign promise to rescind policies that encouraged or incentivized electric vehicles.

Joe Biden's EPA issued stricter fuel-emissions standards in 2024 that would require automakers to build more electric vehicles.

Sean Duffy did not specify whether that post referred to the fuel-economy standards Donald Trump cited.

It was not immediately clear whether the standards Trump referenced Saturday match that proposal or contain additional changes.

NHTSA estimated that its earlier proposal would cut the average upfront cost of a new vehicle by about $930.

NHTSA projected the proposal would increase fuel consumption by roughly 100 billion gallons through 2050.

In June 2025 Sean Duffy published a rule titled Resetting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Program.

NHTSA projected the proposal would add about $185 billion in fuel spending.

NHTSA projected the proposal would increase carbon dioxide emissions by about 5 percent.

That move has sparked legal challenges and debate over California's regulatory authority.

The government's analysis of the proposed rule says the move could lead to drivers paying hundreds more for gas each year.

That analysis says the move could worsen the country's ability to weather oil-price shocks.

The federal government first regulated miles per gallon in the 1970s, amid high gasoline prices, blocked oil supplies, and U.S. conflict in the Middle East, conditions The Washington Sun likens to 2026.

The government then required cars to go farther on less gas to protect consumers from unstable energy markets.

34.5 miles per gallon is lower than the average fuel economy of the existing U.S. fleet as of 2024.

Fuel standards generally require manufacturers to make their whole fleet, on average, more efficient each year.

The war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have shown how geopolitical turmoil can hit American drivers.

As proposed, the Trump standards do not consider electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, which brings the average fuel-economy goals down.

Trump signed legislation that set penalties for violating fuel-efficiency standards to zero.

Trump eliminated the 2009 endangerment finding that underpinned vehicle emissions standards.

Congress and President Gerald Ford created the first CAFE standards about 50 years ago in response to the 1973 oil embargo.

The goal was to lessen the country's dependence on foreign fuel as gas prices soared.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to Trump's post reversing the Biden-era standards.

Over 50 years, CAFE standards more than doubled the average miles per gallon of cars, trucks, and other light vehicles.

NHTSA's analysis shows drivers spending up to $1,400 more on gas.

NHTSA's analysis shows thousands of auto-industry jobs disappearing.

Americans have continued to buy electric vehicles, but at a slower pace.

Sales of fully electric cars have dropped since the tax credits disappeared.

Federal officials excluded electric vehicles from the model used to analyze the revised CAFE proposal.

Hybrid sales continue to climb.

The administration's analysis shows energy-security benefits from using less fuel decrease as cars become less efficient.

Risks to the U.S. economy from global oil-market shocks increase.

The official analysis says traffic fatalities and property damage from crashes would drop.

The analysis says health harms from higher emissions, including ER visits, worse asthma, heart attacks, and premature deaths, would increase.

In another model that includes electric vehicles, the same trends apply.

The analysis says that drop happens because people drive less when they get fewer miles per gallon.