DETROIT (AP) — New vehicles sold in the U.S. will have to travel an average of at least 40 miles per gallon of gasoline in 2026 under new rules unveiled by the government.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that its fuel economy requirements will undo a rollback enacted under President Donald Trump.
The new requirements increase gas mileage by 8% per year for model years 2024 and 2025 and 10% in the 2026 model year.
For the current model year, standards enacted under Trump require the fleet of new vehicles to get just over 24 miles per gallon in real-world driving.
Some environmental groups say the new standards aren't tough enough, saying that it's about 2 mpg short of what the NHTSA considered, the Associated Press reported.
Compared to the Trump standards, gasoline consumption will be reduced by more than 220 billion throughout the car's lifetime.
NHTSA said that by 2050, carbon dioxide emissions would drop by 2.5 billion metric tons under the standards and those with a 2029 model vehicle would save about $1,400 in gasoline costs during the car's lifetime.
