California Passes Restrictive Replacement Tire Law In The Name Of Efficiency

Call it saving the planet or call it government overreach. Either way, the California Energy Commission has voted unanimously to require most replacement tires sold in the state to have as low rolling resistance as the tires a car originally came with from the factory. This will significantly reduce the tire selection available to Californians, as 70% of tires currently on the market don't meet this standard, reports KCRA.

There are a number of exceptions for tires that will not be required to meet the new rules, so the sky isn't necessarily falling for enthusiasts yet, but things are definitely going to change quite a bit. Some of these include used tires, competition tires for motorsports, snow tires, motorcycle tires, and "large" off-road tires that are limited to 99 mph. That still leaves the vast majority of motorists bound by a reduced selection of more efficient, yet more expensive tires. And that's saying nothing about drivers who might want higher-performance tires than their car came with, looking for changes in other vehicle dynamics like better handling.

The CEC acknowledges that these more efficient tires will cost more, but claims that drivers will save far more at the gas pump as a result:

The incremental cost for consumers is very low – only $1.50 per tire during Phase 1 (2029-2033) and $6.50 per tire during Phase 2 (2033 and beyond). A typical driver of a gasoline car with more efficient tires will save $179 of gasoline over the life of a set of tires, or about seven times the incremental cost. These savings were calculated with gasoline prices of $4.60 per gallon. At the elevated gasoline prices of mid-2026, the savings could be 25% higher than estimated.

Keep in mind that these prices reflect California's significantly higher gas prices than the rest of the nation. While the national average is currently $4.06 per gallon according to AAA, California's average is $5.57 per gallon. 

Even California's higher gas prices don't account for the fact that tires optimized for low rolling resistance generally don't last as long as other types, as Car and Driver explained. This means tires will have to be replaced more frequently, which can more than erase any savings at the pump and cost drivers more money overall. After our previous reporting, the CEC sent Jalopnik a statement denying this:

In short, these proposed regulations will not result in a shorter replacement tire lifespan for California drivers. In partnership with Smithers, a leading independent tire testing laboratory, the CEC tested tires that are sold for the most popular cars and light-trucks in California, as measured by California DMV license registrations. Further, we matched this data with real-world treadwear provided by Discount Tire's Treadwell program. The research showed there is no relationship between efficiency and tire lifespan within the California market. There are already compliant tires in the California market with strong performance on both efficiency and lifespan.

Not everyone is on board with the CEC's numbers, though, including Goodyear. From KCRA:

Bret Gladfelty, on behalf of Goodyear, told the commission that this will increase costs for consumers and said the commission had yet to resolve technical and legal issues with the rules.

In a letter to the CEC, Gladfelty had questioned the data the CEC released to the public about the cost of new tires, noting that while the commission says the price increases average about $6.50 per tire in phase 2, Gladfelty warned [increased] costs could actually end up being in the several hundreds of dollars.

It's hard to say exactly how much a price increase would be. Many factors determine tire prices, including their size, type, and application. But when a company that makes and sells tires says that its price increases could be much higher than government estimates, I tend to believe the tire company.

There's still a little time before the new rules take effect, so Californians probably shouldn't start stockpiling tires just yet. Starting in 2029, any tires sold in California must have a maximum rolling resistance level of 9.1 newtons per kilonewton (N/kN). In 2033, this limit goes down to 7.2 N/kN, which the CEC has determined is the average rolling resistance of tires sold on new cars. That's when 70% of tires on sale today will no longer be available in California.

Other states may start adopting California's tire standards as well. We saw it happen with the state's stricter emission standards, despite the Trump Administration pushing back. That could be the case with tires, too. Grist reports that Washington and Rhode Island, among others, are already considering it.

One genuinely positive development coming out of the new rules is the establishment of a "leaf" rating system to show just how efficient a particular tire is. From Grist:

At the very least, the leaf rating system should make shopping easier. Similar to the Energy Star label, or the snowflake rating system for snow and all-weather tires, more leaves will mean a more efficient tire, with a four-leaf rating denoting the greatest efficiency. The one hitch is that manufacturers can choose whether or not to display the label, so consumers may have [to] look up the model in the state's online database.

Knowledge is power. If efficiency and low rolling resistance are important to you, it will be great to look up this information to make the best choice for your needs, wherever you live. But the keyword here is "choice." While there were public hearings about the new rules, California residents did not get to vote on them, and now stand to lose most of their tire choices. I wonder if more Californians might just happen to need a new set of tires while they're out of state on vacation.