NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • December 3, 2025
The Trump administration has started the process of dramatically easing fuel economy requirements for new vehicles, part of a broad pivot away from cleaner cars. At the White House on Wednesday, surrounded by the executives from several major car companies, President Trump said the move would make cars cheaper. "We're officially terminating Joe Biden's ridiculously burdensome, horrible CAFE standards that impose expensive restrictions," Trump said. Previous research from Consumer Reports has challenged the argument that regulations make cars more expensive. Stringent fuel economy standards also carry an economic benefit in the form of lower fuel costs over time.