SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 19 (Our California Times) — California drivers will face new limits on some replacement tires beginning in 2029, after the California Energy Commission unanimously approved statewide tire-efficiency rules in August 2026.
The rules are intended to reduce the energy vehicles use to move on the road. They will affect certain replacement tires sold in California, not the tires installed on new vehicles when they leave the factory.
What is changing?
The California Energy Commission, or CEC, is setting limits on a tire’s rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is the energy needed to keep a tire moving along the road. A tire with lower rolling resistance generally requires less energy, which can reduce gasoline or electricity use.
The rules will be introduced in two stages:
- Starting in 2029: Covered replacement tires must have a rolling-resistance level of no more than 9.1 newtons per kilonewton, or N/kN.
- Starting in 2033: The limit will fall to 7.2 N/kN.
The CEC says the goal is to ensure that replacement tires are, on average, at least as energy-efficient as the original-equipment tires supplied with passenger cars and light-duty trucks.
The commission’s staff tested 537 types of tires while developing the standards. The CEC estimates that the rules could produce energy-cost savings of about $79 over four months during the first phase and about $153 over seven months during the second phase. Those are projections, not guaranteed savings for every driver.
Will every replacement tire be covered?
No. The rules include exemptions for several categories of tires. Among them are competition tires; winter and some winter-performance tires; used and retreaded tires; deep-tread tires; certain off-road and all-terrain vehicle tires; motorcycle tires; temporary-use and space-saver spare tires; and small tires with nominal rim diameters of 13 inches or less.
Other listed exemptions include limited-production tires, emergency-vehicle tires, high-load-index tires and tires that cannot sustain speeds above 50 mph.
The adopted rules also include wet-grip requirements intended to preserve traction and safety. The available information does not specify the wet-grip thresholds.
Why did California adopt the standards?
The action follows Assembly Bill 844, a California law passed in 2003 that directed the Energy Commission to establish or explore tire-efficiency standards.
CEC Chairman David Hochschild said the policy is intended to protect consumers and reduce costs over time. Commissioner Nancy Skinner said the commission’s aim is for replacement tires sold under the first phase to be comparable in quality to the tires installed on new vehicles.
What does this mean for drivers and retailers?
The rules do not require vehicle owners to replace tires that are already on their cars. They apply when covered replacement tires are offered for sale in California after the applicable standards begin.
The main change will be at the point of purchase: Some tire models that do not meet the new rolling-resistance limits may no longer be available for sale in the state, while exempt categories will remain outside the standards.
The CEC’s approval establishes the policy and its phase-in schedule. The available records do not detail the final enforcement process, retailer obligations or how existing inventory will be treated, so those implementation questions remain important for drivers, tire sellers and manufacturers as 2029 approaches.
