On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Trump posted: “I have just approved new Fuel Economy Standards that TERMINATE Sleepy Joe Biden and Pete Boot-EDGE-EDGE's ridiculous EV Mandate.” On Monday the Transportation Department released the final rule, which National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Jonathan Morrison had signed on September 25. Reuters: “The Trump administration on Monday finalized new lower vehicle fuel economy standards.” It covers passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2022 through 2031, rewriting past years' standards as well as future ones. It had not yet been published in the Federal Register.
The rule's own numbers: “NHTSA estimates that this final rule would increase the eventual average of manufacturers' CAFE requirements to about 34.9 mpg by MY 2031 rather than an average of about 49.3 mpg under the No-Action Alternative (i.e., the standards issued in 2024).” For passenger cars that is 40.2 mpg instead of 65.8; for light trucks, 26.4 instead of 45.4. The agency projects “a 4.6-percent increase in gasoline consumption through CY 2050” compared with keeping the 2024 standards, and states that “Adverse health outcomes from criteria pollutant emissions are expected to increase nationwide in 2035 and 2050.” Among the changes to its economic model, NHTSA says it updated the inputs “to set the social cost of carbon at zero.”
The pitch and the paperwork differ. Trump: “That means LOWER PRICES, saving families thousands on a new, beautiful, and safe car.” The rule's estimate is narrower: “If those savings are passed on to consumers, NHTSA estimates that per-vehicle costs for new vehicles would be reduced by $1,289 for MY 2031.” The department's release says the rule will “Save the American people $138 billion over the next five years” and “save 1,900 lives by encouraging new car sales.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy: “Thanks to President Trump's leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn't want.”
There was no mandate. The Associated Press wrote that Trump “falsely calls” the Biden rules an EV mandate: “No federal policy has mandated auto companies to sell EVs.” Newsmax, reporting the same announcement: “The Biden administration did not require Americans to purchase electric vehicles.”
How much it changes on the road is a real question. Congress already removed the teeth in July 2025: Section 40006 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reset the maximum civil penalty for missing the standards to $0.00, and the rule itself notes, “Under current law there are no fines for manufacturer shortfalls.” University of Maryland economist Joshua Linn told Politico the standards are now a suggestion: “It's like the agency's asking nicely,” and, “But there's no penalty if you don't do it.” Experts told Politico the rollback matters less than the EPA's February repeal of vehicle climate rules and the endangerment finding (see EPA Revokes the 2009 Endangerment Finding That Underpins Federal Greenhouse Gas Rules).
The auto industry welcomed it. John Bozzella of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation: “NHTSA made the right call to better align fuel economy standards with the law and current market conditions.” Dan Becker of the Center for Biological Diversity: “Trump is tanking sensible mile per gallon standards at the worst possible time for consumers, who are getting hit with sky-high prices at the pump.” The national average gas price was $4.47 on September 27, up from $4.09 a month earlier, AP reported, with the Iran war disrupting fuel supplies.