The California Ban on Gas Cars - What You Need To Know In 2025
California is phasing out new gas car sales by 2035.

California made history in 2020 as the first state to plan to ban the sale of new gas cars by 2035. In 2022, California passed a law requiring automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles each year.
11 states and the District of Columbia have followed California’s lead in taking proactive steps to phase out gasoline, demonstrating a growing movement across the US to switch from gasoline to cleaner, cheaper alternatives. These states are joining the long list of countries with diesel and gasoline phaseouts for vehicles around the world.
The latest on California’s gasoline vehicle phaseout can be found below.
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California's Gas Car Ban Overview
California’s phasing out of gasoline vehicles includes standards for the rate at which automakers must convert their offerings to electric, culminating in a 100% EV requirement by 2035.
ACC II amends California’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Regulation to require automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles each year.
In 2020, Executive Order N-79-20 from Governor Newsom called for all new passenger vehicles sold in California to be zero emissions by 2035.
In 2022, California's Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulations were passed to cut climate and air pollution by requiring that an increasing percentage of all new cars sold are electric each year. ACC II spurred more electric vehicle charging infrastructure plus will lower electric vehicle prices and increased selection by requiring all automakers to compete to sell their brand of electric vehicles.
As a result, California has by far the most EV sales of any state in the nation. Every EV sold in the US is available in California, often at the lowest prices.

California's timeline for phasing out sales of new gas cars
The phaseout sets enforceable standards for the rate at which automakers must convert their offerings to electric and provides certainty for other EV market players concerning the timing of electrification.
The percent of new vehicles that must be zero emissions each year under ACC II is as follows:
Incentives in California promoting electric vehicle adoption
State and local governments in California offer a number of incentives to replace fossil fuel cars with EVs. Learn more about EV incentives in California.
The ACC II regulations were backed by a $2.4 billion dollar investment in California for vehicle incentives, charging infrastructure and public outreach.
ACC II also includes warranty requirements for EVs
- EVs must be warranted to maintain at least 80% of range for 10 years or 150,000 miles by model year 2030. This is phased in from 70% for model year 2026 through 2029 vehicles.
- Battery packs must be warranted to maintain 75% of their energy for eight years or 100,000 miles by model year 2031. This is phased in from 70% for model year 2026 through 2030.
- Powertrain components must also be warranted for at least three years or 50,000 miles.
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Other states following California's lead
Following California, 11 states and the District of Columbia have adopted all or part of the ACC II regulations.
Learn more about other states with gasoline car bans and phaseouts.
United States Gasoline Phaseout Map
Why is there a gas car ban in California?
Reducing Air Pollution in California
California continues to have some of the worst air quality in the country.
Nine in ten Californians live with polluted air.
In terms of ozone pollution, Los Angeles is the most polluted city in the nation.
Vehicle emissions account for 80% of smog-causing air pollution in California.
Reducing Carbon Emissions In California
California is committed to making the switch from gasoline to electric to meet its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030, and reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
The transportation sector in California is the biggest source of carbon emissions at 39% of total emissions.
Light duty vehicles like passenger cars and trucks make up 70% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector in California.

Gasoline Superuser Approach Note
State-level bans like California’s ban on sales of new gas cars don’t go far enough to cut gasoline use and vehicle emissions quickly, efficiently, and equitably. New cars are typically only around 6% of total cars on the road each year. Even if 100% of new cars were electric starting tomorrow, we will still have many older gas cars on the road for a long time.
To maximize gasoline reduction, we must help those drivers using the most gasoline (“Gasoline Superusers”) switch to EVs as soon as possible. Gasoline Superusers use one third of all the gasoline across the US - often because they must commute long distances from the housing they can afford to their jobs.
Learn more about Coltura’s gasoline superuser approach
Learn more about AB 2401 - a bill that was proposed in California in 2024 to offer additional incentives for lower income gasoline superusers.

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