NHTSA signed a final rule resetting fuel-economy standards for model-year 2022-2031 passenger cars and light trucks, including 2030 classification changes and the end of credit trading in 2028.
NHTSA announced the final rule on September 28
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Rule III on September 28, 2026. NHTSA's posted final-rule document says Administrator Jonathan Morrison signed it on September 25 and submitted it for Federal Register publication.
The rule covers passenger cars and light trucks
The final rule recalibrates Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards for light-duty vehicles in model years 2022 through 2031. NHTSA identifies the directly regulated entities as manufacturers or sellers of new passenger cars and light trucks, commercial vehicle and component importers, and alternative-fuel vehicle converters. It is not an FMCSA operating rule for interstate motor carriers.
The 2031 projection is 34.9 mpg
USDOT says NHTSA estimates that the standards will produce a combined fleet-average fuel economy of 34.9 miles per gallon in model year 2031, compared with 30.1 mpg for model year 2024. That is an agency fleet projection under the rule, not a guaranteed window-sticker rating or real-world fuel economy for every pickup, van or fleet.
Vehicle classification criteria change in model year 2030
The department says classification criteria will change beginning with model year 2030 to better reflect intended vehicle use. USDOT projects that the current mix of roughly 70 percent light trucks and 30 percent passenger cars will shift toward about 30 percent light trucks and 70 percent passenger cars. The result depends on future manufacturer and market decisions.
CAFE credit trading ends with model year 2028
The announcement says NHTSA is eliminating the CAFE credit-trading program starting in model year 2028. That is a manufacturer compliance change. It does not eliminate fuel cards, carbon programs administered by other agencies, state emissions rules or private fleet credits that happen to use similar terminology.
The rule is not yet effective merely because it was announced
The NHTSA document posted on September 28 says the rule becomes effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. The posted version still contains a placeholder for that publication-based date and directs readers to the later official Federal Register version. CDL Truck Pro has therefore not assigned a calendar effective date that NHTSA had not yet published.
This is different from heavy-duty truck fuel-efficiency policy
Passenger cars and CAFE-defined light trucks are not the same regulatory category as Class 7 or Class 8 tractors and other medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The September 28 action does not itself create new fuel-economy standards for heavy-duty tractors, trailers or vocational vehicles, and it should not be described as a big-rig emissions or diesel-engine rule.
It does not change CDL or FMCSA operating rules
The final rule does not revise CDL classes, hours of service, driver qualification, medical certification, drug and alcohol testing, vehicle inspection, weight limits or out-of-service criteria. A pickup or van used in commerce may still be a commercial motor vehicle under another federal or state definition, but its operating obligations are determined by those separate rules rather than by the CAFE headline.
Light-duty commercial fleets may see product effects over time
Businesses operating pickups, vans and other covered light trucks may eventually see changes in model availability, classification, technology, purchase prices and fuel consumption as manufacturers plan for the revised standards. The final rule does not require an owner to replace an existing vehicle, choose a particular fuel or immediately alter dispatch.
Do not use the fleet average as a trip-cost input
CAFE compliance is calculated across a manufacturer's regulated fleet. A carrier or contractor estimating job cost should use the specific vehicle's observed fuel economy, duty cycle, payload, route and current fuel price. Treating 34.9 mpg as the expected performance of a loaded work pickup or van would confuse a nationwide compliance projection with a unit-level operating result.
The rule amends compliance provisions as well as standards
NHTSA's summary says the action changes light-duty standards for model years 2022-2026 and 2027-2031 and also amends program compliance provisions, including vehicle classification and other compliance pathways. Fleets and dealers evaluating a particular model should use the final regulatory text and manufacturer documentation rather than relying only on the department's summary.
Primary-source note
This report is based on USDOT's September 28, 2026 announcement and NHTSA's signed final-rule document in docket NHTSA-2025-0491. Agency projections and policy claims are identified as such. The article separates CAFE-defined light trucks from medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and does not infer a Federal Register publication date or effective date that was not yet shown in the posted rule.
What commercial drivers should take away
For CDL holders and heavy-truck fleets, the immediate news is a light-duty manufacturer fuel-economy rule—not a change to driver licensing or roadside compliance. Operators of covered pickups and vans should watch later manufacturer specifications and the official Federal Register publication, while every fleet should continue applying the existing safety, maintenance and operating rules that govern its vehicles.
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Official sources
USDOT announcement, September 28, 2026: SAFE Vehicles Rule IIINHTSA signed final rule: CAFE standards for model years 2022-2031NHTSA: Corporate Average Fuel Economy programCDL Truck Pro provides educational information. Confirm licensing, safety, tax, and regulatory requirements through current official sources and qualified professionals.