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Advanced Clean Cars II8 MIN

What California’s Clean Cars Rules Require Drivers and Automakers to Do

California’s ACC II rules regulate automakers’ new-vehicle sales and emissions. Here is what the 2026 phase-in and 2035 target mean for drivers, existing gas cars and vehicle choices.

By CarCody Team

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California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) program is principally a rule for automakers selling new passenger cars and other light-duty vehicles in the state. It begins phasing in with model year 2026 and sets a model-year 2035 trajectory in which 100% of new passenger vehicles must meet California’s zero-emission standards, including qualifying plug-in hybrids.

It does not require an individual to buy an electric vehicle, scrap a gasoline car, or stop driving an existing gasoline vehicle in 2035. The rules’ practical effect on drivers is indirect: the mix of new vehicles offered for sale, their emissions requirements and the legal status of the program may change.

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What California’s clean-cars rules actually regulate

California’s Advanced Clean Cars II program combines two related pieces of regulation for new passenger vehicles and light-duty vehicles:

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  • Stricter standards for conventional criteria pollutants and other vehicle emissions.
  • An updated zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) program that sets manufacturer sales and compliance requirements.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted ACC II in 2022. The rulemaking record says the Office of Administrative Law approved it and it was filed with the California Secretary of State on November 30, 2022, with an effective date of November 30, 2022. The package begins with model year 2026 and phases toward its model-year 2035 endpoint.

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The regulated party is the manufacturer that certifies and sells new vehicles, not the person who already owns a car. That distinction is the key to interpreting headlines that describe a “gas-car ban.”

Timeline: model year 2026 through 2035

Point in the program What it means
2022 adoption CARB adopted the next phase of its clean-car and ZEV regulations.
November 30, 2022 The final rulemaking record lists approval, filing and an effective date on this date.
Model year 2026 The ACC II phase-in begins for new passenger cars and light-duty vehicles.
Model years 2026–2035 Requirements become more stringent over the phase-in period for manufacturers selling covered new vehicles.
Model year 2035 CARB’s high-level description targets 100% of new passenger vehicles meeting its zero-emission standards, with qualifying plug-in hybrids included in the program’s eligible categories.

“Model year” is a vehicle-industry designation, not the date a driver registers a car. A vehicle built or certified for model year 2026 is part of the first phase even if it is purchased later. The endpoint likewise concerns new vehicles offered and certified for model year 2035, not every vehicle on California roads that year.

What automakers have to do

Meet emissions standards

Manufacturers must comply with the applicable criteria-pollutant and greenhouse-gas requirements for covered new vehicles. These standards govern how vehicles are certified and sold in California. They apply to the manufacturer’s product and compliance strategy rather than to a driver’s day-to-day operation of a legally registered car.

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Meet the ZEV sales and compliance trajectory

ACC II updates California’s ZEV regulation and sets a phase-in beginning in model year 2026. Automakers selling covered passenger vehicles and light-duty vehicles in the state must offer and account for eligible vehicles in the manner required by the regulation. The program’s stated model-year 2035 destination is that 100% of new passenger vehicles meet California’s zero-emission standards.

No single annual percentage can safely be applied to every manufacturer, vehicle class or model year. The exact obligations depend on the final regulation, its definitions and later CARB guidance. It is therefore more accurate to describe ACC II as a staged manufacturer-compliance program than to quote an unsupported year-by-year sales chart.

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Use eligible vehicle categories

CARB’s 2022 announcement identifies three broad categories that can count toward automaker requirements:

  • Battery-electric vehicles.
  • Qualifying plug-in hybrid vehicles.
  • Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

Eligibility is not a blanket statement that every vehicle marketed under one of those labels automatically qualifies. Model-year rules, technical definitions and certification conditions still apply. A plug-in hybrid can count when it meets the applicable California requirements; the program should not be summarized as either “only battery EVs” or “every hybrid qualifies.”

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What individual drivers must do — and do not have to do

You do not have to buy an EV

ACC II does not, on its face, order an individual California resident to purchase a battery-electric vehicle. A driver replacing a car can choose among vehicles that manufacturers legally offer, including eligible plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles where available. Incentives, inventory and local infrastructure are separate consumer questions, not a personal purchase mandate created by ACC II.

You can keep an existing gasoline car

The 2035 target concerns new-vehicle sales and manufacturer compliance. It does not make an existing gasoline car illegal to own or drive merely because the calendar reaches 2035. Normal requirements still apply, such as registration, insurance, safety rules, emissions inspections where applicable and compliance with local restrictions. Those ordinary obligations should not be confused with an ACC II order to retire a vehicle.

You can buy or sell used vehicles under ordinary law

ACC II is aimed at new covered vehicles. A used gasoline vehicle does not become a prohibited vehicle simply because it changes owners after 2035. The legality of a particular transaction can depend on separate registration, title, emissions or local rules, so buyers should check those requirements for their county and vehicle.

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Your practical decision is about the next purchase

If you are shopping for a new car, the relevant questions are availability, range or fuel needs, charging or hydrogen access, price, warranty terms and current state or federal incentives. ACC II influences what manufacturers certify and offer; it does not dictate which eligible vehicle an individual must select.

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Which vehicle types count toward the program?

Vehicle type How to describe its role accurately
Battery-electric vehicle CARB identifies full battery-electric vehicles as an eligible zero-emission category for manufacturer requirements.
Plug-in hybrid vehicle Qualifying plug-in hybrids can count under the program. “Qualifying” matters: the vehicle must satisfy the applicable California definitions and certification conditions.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle CARB identifies hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles as another eligible category, subject to the regulation’s requirements and the availability of certified models.
Conventional gasoline or diesel vehicle These vehicles remain subject to the applicable emissions standards, but they are not the zero-emission categories described as counting toward the ZEV trajectory.

This categorization explains why the phrase “California is banning all gas cars” is misleading. The policy changes the composition of new-vehicle sales over time; it does not erase the existing vehicle fleet on a single date.

Battery durability and the 80% figure

CARB’s 2022 announcement said that, by model year 2030, the rules require a vehicle to maintain at least 80% of its electric range for 10 years or 150,000 miles. That is a durability requirement described by CARB, not a universal promise that every battery will deliver an identical range in every climate or driving pattern.

The figure also should not automatically be presented as a standalone consumer warranty. The final regulation determines which vehicles, components, conditions and remedies are covered. Temperature, charging behavior, mileage, maintenance and the vehicle’s certified configuration can affect how a durability provision operates. Before relying on the 80%-for-10-years-or-150,000-miles statement for a particular purchase, read the vehicle’s warranty and the current final-rule language.

Why the legal status is complicated in 2026

As of the 2026 notices described by CARB, the dispute is not a simple choice between “ACC II is fully enforceable” and “ACC II is gone.” Several legal actions overlap:

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California emergency regulations

CARB’s June 11, 2026 public notice says emergency vehicle-emissions regulations were adopted in September 2025 and readopted in March 2026. The notice says certain earlier regulations that were displaced by ACC II and the Omnibus regulations remain operative until a court resolves the uncertainty. CARB also describes possible enforcement of ACC II to the extent permitted by law if a court invalidates resolutions that purport to disapprove the relevant waivers.

Permanent adoption announced in March 2026

On March 26, 2026, CARB announced permanent adoption of Emergency Vehicle Emissions Regulations. The agency described the action as a response to federal action purporting to disapprove waivers for ACC II and other California regulations. This is a state regulatory response; it is not the same document as the original ACC II rulemaking record.

Federal waiver litigation

Federal actions concerning California’s Clean Air Act waivers prompted additional litigation. A California Attorney General update reports a later federal-court injunction in litigation over the Environmental Protection Agency’s reclassification of Clean Air Act waivers. That injunction is a distinct legal development. It does not, by itself, answer every question about ACC II’s enforceability, the federal waiver resolutions or California’s emergency rules.

For a current compliance decision, consult the latest CARB notices, the final regulation and the actual court orders. Agency summaries explain the state’s position; a court order controls the legal effect of the particular issue it decides. News stories that collapse all of these proceedings into one “ban” or “repeal” can leave out the qualification that matters.

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How to read common claims about the rules

“California bans gas cars in 2035.”

That wording is too broad. A precise version is: California’s ACC II trajectory applies to new passenger-vehicle sales and manufacturer compliance, with a stated model-year 2035 goal that 100% of new passenger vehicles meet zero-emission standards, including qualifying plug-in hybrids. Existing gasoline vehicles are not automatically outlawed by that target.

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“Everyone in California must switch to an EV.”

That is also inaccurate. The regulation does not impose a general purchase order on individual drivers, and eligible vehicles include more than battery-electric models.

“Plug-in hybrids do not count.”

CARB’s own 2022 description says qualifying plug-in hybrids count. The important limitation is the word “qualifying”: eligibility depends on the final rule’s technical and model-year conditions.

“The rules are definitely enforceable” or “definitely canceled.”

The 2026 federal and state actions make both statements overconfident without identifying the particular regulation, waiver resolution and court order involved. Separate ACC II itself from emergency California regulations and from litigation over EPA’s treatment of waivers.

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What a California driver should check before buying a new vehicle

  1. Identify the vehicle’s model year. ACC II begins with model year 2026; the model year is more relevant than the date you sign a purchase contract.
  2. Confirm the vehicle’s California certification. Ask the dealer or manufacturer whether the exact trim and model is certified for sale in California and under which emissions category.
  3. Check whether a plug-in hybrid is qualifying. Do not assume that every hybrid or plug-in hybrid receives the same regulatory treatment.
  4. Review the battery or fuel-system warranty. The CARB durability figure is not a substitute for reading the vehicle-specific warranty and its conditions.
  5. Plan energy access separately. For a battery or hydrogen vehicle, verify charging or fueling availability for your regular routes; ACC II does not guarantee infrastructure at a particular address.
  6. Verify current legal and incentive information. Federal litigation, state emergency rules, purchase incentives and local programs can change independently of the underlying ACC II text.

The practical bottom line for each audience

For current owners

Keep and operate a gasoline vehicle under the ordinary registration, safety and emissions rules that apply to it. ACC II’s 2035 endpoint is not a forced scrappage date.

For people replacing a vehicle

Expect the new-vehicle market to be shaped increasingly by California’s manufacturer requirements. Compare eligible battery-electric, qualifying plug-in hybrid and hydrogen models on their own merits rather than treating the regulation as a command to buy one specific technology.

For automakers

Plan certification, product offerings and compliance for the model-year 2026 phase-in and the later 2035 target, while tracking CARB guidance, emergency regulations, federal waiver actions and court orders.

For anyone reporting or debating the policy

Always identify four things: who is regulated, which model year is at issue, which vehicle categories count and which legal instrument is being discussed. That framework prevents the most common confusion between a new-car sales standard and a driver mandate.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Advanced Clean Cars IICaliforniaCARBelectric vehiclesvehicle emissionsZero-emission vehicles

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