Trump announces rollback of Biden-era US fuel economy standards

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that his administration will terminate the “EV mandate” introduced under President Joe Biden and replace it with new fuel‑economy standards.

In a social media post, Trump claimed the changes will lower car prices and encourage manufacturers to increase production in the United States, describing the previous rules as “costly” and “steering consumers towards electric vehicles”.

The standards in question are the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules, which require automakers to meet average fuel‑efficiency targets across all cars and light trucks sold. Under Biden’s 2024 rules, the fleet‑wide target was set to rise from 39.1 mpg to about 50.4 mpg by 2031.

Trump’s proposal, first outlined in December 2025, would set the 2031 target at roughly 34.5 mpg – more than 30 percent lower than the Biden figure. No specific details of the new standards were provided.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a formal announcement would be made “COMING MONDAY”. Al Jazeera has sought comment from the White House.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Darya Sannikova / Pexels.