Sorry Donald Trump, most Americans aren’t on board with this auto policy

As someone who lives in New Jersey, filling up my car with gas is one of the most time-consuming chores that I detest. 

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The state is the only one in the nation that does not allow drivers to pump their own gas, which turns a simple detour into an event that can take anywhere from 2 minutes to hours, depending on how crowded a specific gas station is. 

Aside from the inconvenience, frequently fueling up can take a toll on your wallet, especially if you own a car that is intended to run on expensive premium gasoline or gets terrible gas mileage.

A person finishes pumping gas at a Valero gas station in Austin, Texas. 

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The people hate spending their last dollars on gas, CR study says

According to a new study released by Consumer Reports, most Americans support initiatives and government policies that help get them into more fuel-efficient cars. 

In a national survey of 2,191 American adults conducted by the consumer advocacy group between August and September 2024, 96% of American drivers say that fuel economy is a somewhat important factor when getting their next car, with about two-thirds noting that it is either a very important or extremely important to their decision. 

According to their data, 60% of respondents said that fuel economy is important because they want to reduce their spending at the pump. About 84% insisted that automakers must improve fuel efficiency across all vehicle types.

Additionally, 76% of the drivers surveyed said that they expect newer car iterations to be more fuel-efficient than their older counterparts. In comparison, 74% of those surveyed felt that automakers have a responsibility to consumers to improve the gas mileage of the cars they sell. 

Related: New Trump rules may have you spending more at the gas pump

Incoming Trump admin seeks to keep cars fuel-inefficient

According to Consumer Reports, fuel efficiency is largely a bipartisan issue, noting that strong majorities of both Democrats and Republicans agree that automakers should continue to make cars more fuel efficient.

“Americans across the political spectrum want to spend less to fuel their vehicles, and they think there’s significant room for improvement by automakers,” Consumer Reports senior transportation and energy policy analyst Chris Harto said.

“The best way to ensure that each generation of new vehicles costs less to fuel is to have strong, incremental, and technology-neutral standards for vehicle efficiency and emissions.” 

Though President-Elect Donald J. Trump is set to take the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol on January 20, his transition team has been hard at work in teasing policy initiatives that the new administration seeks to target. 

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During his first tenure as President, Trump reversed Obama-era rules that would have required automakers across the industry to increase vehicle average fuel economy by about 5% annually until 2026. 

Upon returning to the Oval Office, the new administration aims to eliminate the NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, which were implemented in June. 

As per the new rules, manufacturers will be tasked with increasing the fleetwide average fuel economy of passenger cars by 2% per year between model years 2027-2031, while the fuel economy of light trucks will need to be improved by 2% per year between model years 2029-2031. With these rules in place, the DOT aims to bring the average car’s fuel economy up to approximately 50.4 miles per gallon by the 2031 model year.

CR: Fuel economy restrictions helped drivers save money

In a separate Consumer Reports analysis, researchers found that the fuel economy and emissions policies framed as “EV mandates” have helped drivers save money over the years. 

They found that car owners may be in for $6,000 in fuel savings over the next five years under current policies. However, if the next administration gets its way, the average American driver will have to cough up an average of at least $8,000 more to fill up their cars by the end of the decade.

“The incoming administration has a choice to make. Do they stay the course, ensuring that automakers continue to innovate and deliver vehicles that are cheaper to fuel? Or will they shift into reverse, costing consumers more at the pump?” Harto said. “Consumers have spoken clearly—they want stronger standards that will save them money.”

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