Trump Announces Rollback of Biden-Era Fuel Economy Standards

United States President Donald Trump has announced new fuel economy standards that will roll back requirements established under former President Joe Biden. Trump stated that these changes aim to lower automobile prices and encourage manufacturers to expand production in the US. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said the new standards would 'TERMINATE' what he referred to as Biden’s 'EV (electric vehicle) mandate,' claiming that the previous administration imposed costly requirements on carmakers and directed consumers towards electric vehicles. Trump wrote, 'These new Standards will take the waste out of building cars in America. That means LOWER PRICES, saving families thousands on a new, beautiful, and safe car.' This announcement is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to reverse Biden-era policies that support lower-emission vehicles, widening the gap between US policy and global trends favoring electric vehicles. While Trump and Republicans have labeled the higher fuel efficiency requirements under Biden as an 'EV mandate,' there are no federal guidelines mandating Americans to purchase electric cars or prohibiting the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles. Central to this issue are the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, established by Congress in 1975, which require automakers to meet average fuel economy targets across all cars and light trucks sold. Under Biden's rules finalized in 2024, the fleetwide fuel economy was set to increase from 39.1 miles per gallon (mpg) to approximately 50.4 mpg by 2031, with the intention of reducing fuel consumption and emissions to address climate change while also helping motorists save money. In response, auto manufacturers have increased production of electric vehicles to comply with these standards. However, the Republican-controlled Congress eliminated consumer tax incentives for electric vehicles last year as part of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trump did not specify the details of the new fuel economy standards but previously proposed in December 2025 to set the industry fleetwide average for light-duty vehicles at about 34.5 mpg by 2031, which is over 30 percent lower than the Biden-era rule. Following Trump's announcement, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that further details would be 'COMING MONDAY.' Al Jazeera has reached out to the White House for comment.