![\"Auto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/72c3f014-a791-47cb-852b-aa19541d14b7.jpeg\" "\\"Auto")
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Auto technicians at a local tire shop in Chula Vista worked on a vehicle’s tires in mid-August. California regulators have approved new rules that will restrict what tires you can buy when it’s time to replace them on your car.<\/p>\n
Nelvin C. Cepeda<\/p>\n
TNS<\/p>\n
California drivers already pay some of the nation\u2019s highest prices for gasoline<\/a>, electricity<\/a> and car ownership<\/a>. Now, Sacramento is giving us something else to worry about: How much we\u2019ll pay for our next set of tires.<\/p>\n Regulators at the state Energy Commission<\/a> just approved the nation\u2019s first \u201cefficiency standard\u201d for replacement tires sold for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s social media team celebrated the new mandate with their usual restraint, declaring: \u201cMAGA HATES TO SEE IT<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n But it\u2019s Californians who will hate seeing the prices for the tires they\u2019ll be required to buy when the new regulation is fully enforced.<\/p>\n The outlines of the program are more than two decades old, and were passed by the Legislature in 2003. The Energy Commission just now gotten around to making the rule. It arrives in a state with more than 420,000 regulatory restrictions<\/a>, which already is the most in the country, according to the Mercatus Center, and adds yet another household expense to overburdened family budgets.<\/p>\n The goal of the Replacement Tire Efficiency Program is \u201cto ensure that replacement tires sold in the state are at least as energy efficient<\/a>, on average, as the tires sold in the state as original equipment on these vehicles.\u201d Beginning in 2026, a tire will have to meet a state standard for \u201crolling resistance,\u201d or how much energy is lost as a tire rolls down the road. Lower rolling resistance can increase fuel economy and lower emissions. Replacement tires will have to have even less resistance in 2033 when the second phase of the policy takes effect.<\/p>\n The California Energy Commission says those tougher requirements \u201cwill help Californians save approximately $1 billion a year<\/a> on refueling.\u201d The commission projects that a typical gas-powered passenger car or SUV will see tire costs increase by $6 for a set of four<\/a> during the first phase, but save $85 in fuel. Then, drivers will pay an extra $26 a set in the second phase and save $179.<\/p>\n But while Michelin declared that \u201cCalifornia\u2019s direction is consistent with<\/a>\u201d the company\u2019s strategies, others in the industry say the savings are a fantasy<\/a>. Goodyear representatives have warned that the regulation could increase a family\u2019s tire costs by hundreds of dollars per tire higher than baseline alternatives<\/a> in Phase 2.<\/p>\n And there is another potential cost the Energy Commission should be compelled to get right: How long the tires last. One way manufacturers can reduce rolling resistance is by reducing tread depth. This means that the tires will wear out faster and have poorer wet-weather performance, forcing Californians to buy tires more often.<\/p>\n Federal regulators have acknowledged<\/a> this tradeoff, citing an industry estimate that achieving a 20% reduction in rolling resistance through tread-depth reduction could reduce tread life by 30% and wet traction by 15%. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine say the impacts could be \u201chigher prices for new tires or reduced durability, requiring more frequent replacement.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a flaw that can be rectified by adding silica compounds and emulsifiers during the manufacturing process, but doing so adds costs, making the tires even more expensive<\/a>.<\/p>\n