The Trump administration reduces fuel efficiency standards for cars, and reviews Biden's approach

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced, on Monday, new rules to reduce fuel efficiency requirements for cars, in the latest step to facilitate the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles, and to undo the approach of former President Joe Biden's administration, which pushed automakers towards producing more efficient vehicles.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the new rules will reduce the average fuel efficiency of the car fleet to 34.9 miles per gallon (14.7 kilometers per liter) by 2031, compared to 50.4 miles per gallon (21.4 kilometers per liter) under the rules approved by the Biden administration.

The Ministry expects that the new standards will reduce the cost of purchasing new cars, but will increase fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions over decades, according to its estimates.

The move comes at a time when Americans are facing a sharp rise in fuel prices since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran at the end of February.

In 2024, the Biden administration approved rules to raise fuel efficiency, prompting car companies to increase the production of electric vehicles. The rules stipulate an increase in car efficiency requirements by 8 percent annually for models in 2024 and 2025, 10 percent for 2026, then 2 percent annually between 2027 and 2031.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Ford and other major automakers, welcomed the new rules, saying the government “made the right decision” to better align fuel efficiency standards with the law and current market conditions.

The coalition added that the Biden administration's rules were practically imposing a switch to electric cars, inconsistent with market reality and consumer demand.

On the other hand, the environmental group “Sierra Club” said that it will resist the Trump administration’s retreat from fuel efficiency standards, considering that reducing the requirements will not reduce costs for Americans, but rather will impose additional costs on families through fuel bills and the health repercussions of pollution.