California’s Latest Regulation Targets Your Tires
Just when we thought California had run out of things to regulate, state officials have found a new target: the tires on your car.
The California Energy Commission has approved the nation’s first efficiency standards for replacement tires sold for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks. Beginning in 2029, replacement tires sold in the state must meet new government requirements claiming more energy efficiency.
For California drivers, this means yet another layer of government mandates affecting the products they can buy.
Tires are not one-size-fits-all. Drivers choose them based on price, durability, weather, and vehicle type. Yet California is moving forward with standards that have already raised concerns about whether consumers could face fewer choices or higher costs.
“There’s a lot of red flags that come up, and there is also a lot of confusion,” Redding auto shop owner Andy Nilson told KRCR. He warned that warehouses could carry fewer options and questioned whether some drivers would still have access to tires offering the grip and performance their vehicles need.
Even the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, which has worked with California throughout the regulatory process, says “significant concerns remain,” including replacement-tire compatibility and consistent enforcement.
Power The Future Communications Director Larry Behrens said Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom should focus on other priorities.
“The only tires Newsom should be concerned with are the ones on the U-Hauls Californians are using to flee insane regulations,” Behrens told The Center Square. “It’s clear regulations like this are why California keeps losing people who can afford to leave.”
From gasoline and vehicles to electricity and now replacement tires, California continues to demonstrate its preferred approach to energy policy: regulate first and let consumers deal with the consequences later. Drivers should be able to choose the tires that best fit their vehicle, budget, and needs. Not the tires Gavin Newsom and Sacramento bureaucrats think they should buy.
August 31, 2026