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Trump approves lower fuel economy standards for new cars and light trucks
September 27, 2026
Trump says on Truth Social that he has approved new fuel economy standards, a rollback that loosens mileage rules for automakers.
For years California has pushed for stricter car pollution limits and for electric vehicles, and Congress last year barred the state from setting its own tighter emission rules.
Key facts
- Trump argues that loosening the mileage rules will save Americans thousands of dollars when they buy a new car.
- The administration plans a large cut to federal mileage rules for new cars and light trucks, letting automakers build more gas-powered models.
nypost.com reports that Trump used a Truth Social post on Saturday to say he had approved the new mileage rules, and Politico corroborates both the approval and the rollback. Reuters, in its headline, describes the US as poised to finalize far weaker standards, while nytimes.com frames the plan as a gutting of clean car rules. Trump argues the change will save buyers thousands of dollars on new cars, a claim nypost.com and Politico both carry.
nypost.com adds the numbers. Automakers had faced a 50.4 miles per gallon target under Biden, and a December proposal would have cut the model year 2031 target to 34.5 miles per gallon on average. The same outlet reports that Congress ended penalties for missing the mileage targets and repealed electric vehicle tax credits of up to $7,500, and that the Environmental Protection Agency in February dropped federal limits on warming pollution from cars.
The approval and the direction of the rollback are corroborated. The final figures, the formal announcement Sean Duffy set for Monday, and the effect on California are still developing.
Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he had “just approved new Fuel Economy Standards.”
Trump
Still developing
The new mileage standard the administration would formally announce Monday was still forming as of the time of this draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- nypost.com — Trump to roll back fuel-efficiency rules in boost for automakers
- Politico — Trump slashes Biden-era fuel economy standards for cars
Toggle read the full reports of 2 of the 5 outlets counted on this event. The other 3 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.