Trump Admin Weakens Fuel Efficiency Standards

Monday, September 28, 2026

The Trump administration announced Monday it's scaling back how fuel efficient American carmakers need to make their fleets.

Posted by retort at 03:10 PM | 24 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

The Trump administration on Monday finalized new lower vehicle fuel economy standards, in the latest effort to make it easier for automakers to sell gas-powered vehicles and to reverse a push by the Biden administration to force automakers to build more fuel-efficient vehicles.[image or embed]
-- Reuters Legal (@legal.reuters.com) 12:40 PM Â· Sep 28, 2026

Comments

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As we have seen with the Obama measures, some "efficiency regulation" can be gamed.

Need to look at the details to see, perhaps this will drive American cars to be smaller.

Tightening the "Light Truck" Definition: Starting in model year 2030, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is amending the fleet classification system. The rules make it structurally more difficult for automakers to use specific design elements and equipment additions to trick the system into classifying small SUVs and crossovers as light trucks. This forces more of these high-volume vehicles back into the stricter passenger car regulatory bucket.

Elimination of Credit Trading: Historically, automakers who failed to meet efficiency metrics could purchase regulatory credits from cleaner automakers (like Tesla). The new regulation eliminates the inter-manufacturer credit trading system starting in model year 2028. This forces every manufacturer to stand on their own fleet's merits rather than subsidizing non-compliance through competitors

Removal of Compliance Fines: The pressure to forcefully electrify fleets is lowered by rolling back or eliminating standard steep financial penalties for compliance gaps, aiming to give automakers more design freedom to build vehicles based purely on consumer demand rather than regulatory metrics.
qz.com

This is actually pretty good list of changes, means the RAV4 isn't an SUV, lowering the fleet MPG but changing the categories is actually pretty good idea. idk who thought of it. But the Obama rules were getting gamed and needed to change.

#1 | Posted by oneironaut at 2026-09-28 03:35 PM | Reply

Well, of course they are.

More progress down that dark tunnel and into trump/MAGA hell.

#2 | Posted by Zed at 2026-09-28 03:55 PM | Reply

1 | POSTED BY ONEIRONAUT

Your stuff seems canned. Who feeds it to you?

#3 | Posted by Zed at 2026-09-28 03:56 PM | Reply

Less efficient fuel standards equals more profit for oil companies, more costs for consumers, and more pollution for everyone.

Tell me those Big Oil Bribes to Trump aren't paying off big time!

#4 | Posted by Corky at 2026-09-28 04:17 PM | Reply

Analysts said hold on thar!

From the Washington Post:

"You're not going to see a vehicle that's $1,300 less expensive," said Stephanie Brinley, principal automotive analyst with Mobility Global. "That's not quite how it works." Brinley said NHTSA's assumptions about how automakers might save under the new regulations don't necessarily translate into savings for consumers.

Car companies will face less regulatory pressure to sell electric vehicles. But it's possible consumers will still demand more EVs or hybrids " especially if gas prices remain elevated. Automakers already are struggling under Trump's tariffs, which increase costs, said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds. So any savings from weaker fuel economy standards would probably go to offset tariffs first, Caldwell said.

#5 | Posted by cbob at 2026-09-28 04:59 PM | Reply

Pedo 47's fat, Putin-gaped ass is death on food truck fuel efficiency.

#6 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-09-28 05:10 PM | Reply

It's about that time for the serial------------ to once again turn the White House lawn into a showroom for Leon's nazimobiles.

#7 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-09-28 05:17 PM | Reply

Alternate headline: Trump Admin Improves Vehicle Reliability and Reduces Total Cost of Ownership.

#8 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-09-28 05:37 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

Alternative headline, "Trump panders to oil execs."

What's the plan here?

Destroy alternative energy sources, jack up the price of gas and oil, eliminate fuel efficiency standards.

Trump is being paid by the oil industry.

America is regressing.

#9 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-09-28 05:42 PM | Reply

"Trump parts Pink Transmission Fluid Sea!" - Visitor

#10 | Posted by Corky at 2026-09-28 05:42 PM | Reply

Most customers are looking to maximize the MPG.

#11 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-09-28 05:43 PM | Reply

Driving up the price of oil and brings back gas guzzlers. Trump is the backwards man! He goes backwards as fast as he can!

#12 | Posted by lee_the_agent at 2026-09-28 05:47 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

"Trump is eyeing an export ban on U.S. diesel. It could cause gas prices to soar, experts warn.

"The longer a diesel export ban lasts, the more disruptive it would likely be by putting upward pressure on gasoline prices because diesel, gasoline and jet fuel are largely produced together," Goldman Sachs analysts said in the report.

"Therefore, downward pressure on diesel production can mean downward pressure on gasoline production, i.e. upward price pressure on gasoline."

www.cbsnews.com

The MidTerms are a short term consideration, so making prices higher later is no problemo for DJT.

#13 | Posted by Corky at 2026-09-28 05:54 PM | Reply

"America's Clean Car Retreat Is Complete. The World Will Move On Without Us

U.S. regulators are trying to slow down the transition to EVs. But Europe and China aren't going to wait up for us."

All of this was avoidable. None of it is surprising. And it leaves big, big question marks about whether American firms can stay relevant globally."

insideevs.com

#14 | Posted by Corky at 2026-09-28 06:01 PM | Reply

Meh... he just wants more gas guzzlers on the road to sell more gas... because that's what makes sense to him

#15 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2026-09-28 06:07 PM | Reply

Trump's "salting the fields." (Old time enemies used to do that to each other. Nothing can grow once ground has been salted.)

#16 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2026-09-28 06:15 PM | Reply

#1 | Posted by oneironaut

Moron.

Gas prices have stayed lower for over a decade because of those rules. Our gasoline usage has barely increased in a DECADE.

Now you ------- idiots took these rules off, gas usage is going to spike and gas prices are also going to start shooting up over the long run.

God damn, MAGA are some of the stupidest people on the god damn planet.

#17 | Posted by Sycophant at 2026-09-28 06:33 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

wErE aLL goNnA dIE!

#18 | Posted by lfthndthrds at 2026-09-28 06:44 PM | Reply

#18 | POSTED BY LFTHNDTURDS

Thanks for your two cents, stupid.

You can go back to huffing Trump's diapers.

#19 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-09-28 06:47 PM | Reply

MAGA are some of the stupidest people on the god damn planet.
#17 | POSTED BY SYCOPHANT

"I love the poorly educated!"
-Trump

"That's me!"
-Turds

#20 | Posted by ClownShack at 2026-09-28 06:49 PM | Reply

@#1 ... Tightening the "Light Truck" Definition: Starting in model year 2030, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is amending the fleet classification system. The rules make it structurally more difficult for automakers to use specific design elements and equipment additions to trick the system into classifying small SUVs and crossovers as light trucks. This forces more of these high-volume vehicles back into the stricter passenger car regulatory bucket. ...

I agree. Finally taking SUVs out of the less-regulated "light trucks" category and placing them into the passenger car category is A Good Thing. I have been commenting that SUVs are not trucks for months, maybe even years.

If only Pres Trump had not seriously weakened the emission requirements for passenger cars, though.

#21 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-09-28 06:57 PM | Reply

@#21

... and, fwiw, SUVs being considered to be trucks, not passenger vehicles seems to pre-date fmr Pres Obama.

To wit ...

United States vehicle emission standards - Tier 2: 2004"2009
en.wikipedia.org

... Within the Tier II ranking, there is a subranking ranging from BIN 1"10, with 1 being the cleanest (Zero Emission vehicle) and 10 being the dirtiest. The former Tier 1 standards that were effective from 1994 until 2003 were different between automobiles and light trucks (SUVs, pickup trucks, and minivans), but Tier II standards are the same for both types. ...

#22 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-09-28 07:07 PM | Reply

No more auto stop start.
No more DEF and regen on farm equipment.
No more carbon build up from high pressure direct injection.
Miniscule improvement in fuel economy with huge consequences on service cost and reliability.

#23 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-09-28 07:30 PM | Reply

Hot Wheels Declares Emergency on Fuel Prices

politicalwire.com

MAGAts are panicking.

#24 | Posted by reinheitsgebot at 2026-09-28 07:41 PM | Reply