Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The Trump administration on Monday finalized new fuel economy standards that sharply scale back Biden-era rules meant to cut gas consumption and speed the shift to electric vehicles.

Getting into it: Under the 892-page rule, which the Transportation Department is calling “Freedom Means Affordable Cars,” automakers will need to hit a fleetwide average of about 34.9 miles per gallon for new cars and light trucks by model year 2031, down from the 50.4 mpg target set under President Biden. The rule cuts the required yearly efficiency gains from about 2% to up to 1%, and ends a system that let automakers buy credits from EV makers to offset their less efficient vehicles.

The department says the change will knock about $1,300 off the average new car and put $138 billion back in Americans’ pockets over five years. Analysts expect automakers to clear the new targets easily, since 2024 models were already close, and last year Congress scrapped the fines for falling short.

Automakers welcomed the move, with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents Ford, GM, Stellantis and others, calling it “an appropriate course correction” from rules that “effectively required a switchover to electric vehicles.” Critics, however, say drivers will lose more at the pump than they save at the dealership. The Environmental Defense Fund pointed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s own analysis, which projects drivers will pay about $1,600 more for gas on average.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we have finally ended the illegal mandate that forced automakers to produce more expensive electric vehicles that American families didn’t want.”