Trump Administration Loosens Fuel-Economy Rules for 2022-2031 Models

The Trump administration announced on September 28, 2026, that it is loosening clean-car rules for gasoline cars and light trucks for model years 2022 through 2031.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the rule under the name "Freedom Means Affordable Cars." It relaxes requirements for automakers to control pollution, according to The Guardian.

The Department said the change would cut the average cost of a new vehicle by $1,300 and save consumers $138 billion over the next five years. Those numbers update earlier estimates. In December 2025, NHTSA had estimated the proposed rollback would cut average up-front vehicle costs by $930, according to Reuters.

The rules are Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards. They set the average miles per gallon automakers must meet across their fleets, like a class average for fuel use. NHTSA runs the program for passenger cars and light trucks for 2022-2031. The final rule document dated September 25, 2026 finalizes changes for light-duty vehicles for 2022-2026 and 2027-2031. The agency had said it was reviewing standards for vehicles built from model year 2022 forward. In January 2026, it described a plan to reset the program for passenger cars and light trucks for 2022-2031 and for HDPUVs, or heavy-duty pickups and vans.

The reset changes the course set by the prior administration. The Biden administration raised required fuel efficiency for cars by 8% each year for model years 2024 and 2025, by 10% for 2026, and by 2% each year from 2027 to 2031. In a December proposal, the Trump administration proposed to lower the 2022 standard retroactively and then raise it by 0.25% to 0.5% each year through 2031.

The rollout followed a tight sequence. Transportation Secretary Duffy said the new fuel economy rules would be unveiled on Monday, September 28, 2026. On September 26, President Trump said he had approved new fuel economy standards ending the Biden EV mandate, according to Reuters.

The rules sit next to EPA rules for the same vehicles. On March 20, 2024, the EPA announced a final rule titled "Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles." The EPA also had greenhouse gas standards for light-duty vehicles for model years 2023-2026.

The Department's own estimates point to more fuel use and emissions. It estimated the proposal would add about 100 billion gallons of fuel use through 2050, add $185 billion in fuel spending, and increase carbon dioxide emissions by about 5%.

The broader context here is a clash between two views of regulation. One view uses fuel economy and pollution rules to pull the fleet toward electric vehicles. The other treats strict standards as a cost added to gas-powered cars and trucks, with affordability as the binding limit. Retroactivity matters here, because reaching back to 2022 affects past compliance planning, not only future targets.

Looking ahead at what comes next, the main fault lines are NHTSA authority versus EPA authority, federal versus state enforcement, and whether a 2022-2031 reset holds across administrations. Automakers must manage CAFE balances, credit positions, and model schedules alongside separate greenhouse gas duties that have their own laws and court history. The projected rise in fuel use and carbon dioxide will shape court review, oversight on spending, and talks with suppliers and dealers over model mix, pricing, and inventory through the end of the decade.