Many SUVs sold in US to be reclassified from trucks to cars

Many vehicles which are currently classed as light trucks in the United States are set to be reclassified as passenger vehicles under new regulatory plans issued by the Trump administration.

This will be part of the new corporate average fuel economy standards issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The change is likely to cause problems for vehicle OEMs, as reclassification of these vehicles will see them subject to more stringent emissions and fuel mileage standards.

The Ford Bronco is one of the models affected by the NHTSA changes (Photo: Ford Motor)

Vehicles impacted by the changes are mostly crossover SUVs, including the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Bronco, Chevrolet Equinox, Jeep Compass and many others.

When the forerunners of these models were first introduced back in the 1980s and ‘90s, they were largely based on the corresponding midsize pickup. For example, the original Ford Explorer was based on a heavily-modified version of the Ford Ranger platform, while the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer used the platform from the S-10 pickup.

Because of the pickup-derived platforms, these new SUVs were also classified as trucks.

Since then, most SUVs have switched from a body-on-frame platform format to unibody designs more common across vehicles developed for passengers rather than cargo. But those vehicles remain classified as trucks due to their origins.

The reclassification of these vehicles will create some headaches for vehicle OEMs, as related emissions standards and average mileage targets for trucks are less stringent than passenger vehicles.

Under the new legislation, the affected vehicles will have to comply with passenger vehicle mileage standards from the 2031 model year, with the target being 40.2 mpg.

Additionally, where these crossovers have largely helped to improve average mileage figures in the truck category, removing them will force OEMs to improve the average emissions performance of their remaining pickups. The fuel economy target for these models will be 26.4 mpg in 2031.

Moving forward, vehicles can qualify as trucks by having a combined minimum payload and towing capacity at or above 8,500 lb. Passing a set of four off-road tests can also see the vehicle qualify as a truck.

The changes are seen as counter to a general pattern of emissions regulation easing under the Trump administration. Vehicle OEMs have opposed the changes for a number of years; most recently they successfully lobbied to have implementation of this reclassification pushed back from 2028 to 2030.

Those companies which produce hybrid and electric variants of these crossovers will have a headstart in compliance. On the other hand, companies which have truck lineups which feature big engines with no electrical assistance will have a more difficult time reaching the average economy figures.