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H 7990Energy Efficiency

Motor and Other Vehicles - Tire Efficiency Standards

This bill mandates that replacement tires sold in Rhode Island must meet specific energy efficiency and safety standards to save fuel.

Held for study
Population
Affected
72
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation requires the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to establish energy efficiency standards for new replacement tires sold for passenger cars and light trucks. The goal is to reduce fuel consumption and emissions without compromising safety or tire life. The bill mandates that tires meet specific testing requirements for efficiency and "wet grip" (braking performance on wet roads). Once regulations are adopted, retailers and mechanics will be prohibited from selling or installing tires that do not meet these standards. Exemptions are included for snow tires, spares, and off-road tires.

For younger readers

This new rule is about the tires we put on cars. Sometimes, tires use up too much gas because they are hard to roll. This bill says that stores in Rhode Island can only sell tires that roll easily to help save gas and keep the air cleaner. It also makes sure these tires are safe and can stop fast when the road is wet. It is like choosing running shoes that are fast but don't slip. The government will check to make sure stores follow the rules and don't sell the wrong tires.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Tire manufacturersTire retailers and distributorsCar and light-truck ownersAuto mechanicsOnline tire retailers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Directly addresses climate change and local air pollution by mandating higher efficiency standards that reduce vehicle emissions, benefiting public health in overburdened communities near highways.
  • Provides economic relief to low-income families by lowering fuel and electricity costs, as these households spend a disproportionate percentage of their income on energy and transportation.
  • Establishes consumer protections by ensuring that safety standards, specifically wet grip braking, are maintained or enhanced alongside efficiency improvements.
  • Could potentially increase the upfront purchase price of tires, which might place an immediate financial burden on low-income individuals who cannot afford the initial investment despite long-term savings.
  • Relies on market-based product standards rather than investing in public transit or systemic infrastructure changes to reduce dependency on personal vehicles.
  • May limit the availability of budget-tier tire options if manufacturers choose to discontinue cheaper, less efficient lines rather than upgrade them, reducing choice for the poor.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes energy independence by reducing the overall consumption of gasoline and electricity, thereby lowering reliance on foreign energy sources.
  • Encourages cost savings for individual consumers and businesses through improved fuel economy, allowing more money to remain in the private sector.
  • Prevents the sale of inferior products by establishing a baseline for quality and safety, potentially reducing accidents and associated economic costs.
  • Represents government overreach into the free market by dictating what products businesses can sell and what consumers are allowed to purchase.
  • Imposes regulatory burdens and potential fines on small business owners, such as local tire shops and mechanics, who must ensure compliance with state-specific mandates.
  • Creates a "nanny state" environment where the government restricts personal choice under the guise of environmental protection, rather than letting the market decide which tires are best.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 116 additions

SECTION 1. Legislative findings.

(a) The legislature finds that:

(1) Replacement tires for passenger cars and light trucks are less energy efficient, on average, than tires installed as original equipment on new vehicles.

(2) Independent testing of available tires has demonstrated that available technologies can cost-effectively improve replacement tire efficiency without compromising product longevity or safety.

(3) Replacement tire efficiency standards will reduce gasoline and electricity waste, thus saving consumers and businesses money.

(4) Such efficiency standards will reduce harmful air pollutant emissions that threaten public health, especially for overburdened communities near highways through reduced transportation-related air pollution.

(5) Gasoline and electricity savings also reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.

(6) Monetary savings resulting from more efficient replacement tires benefit all consumers, but are especially important to low-income families, who spend a disproportionate share of their income on fuel costs.

(7) Efficiency standards also help the state and local economies because savings at the pump and on electric bills can be spent on local goods and services.

(8) Electricity savings help reduce or delay the need for expensive investments in new power plants, transmission lines, and distribution system upgrades.

SECTION 2. Title 31 of the General Laws entitled "MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 31-23.4-1. Purpose. This chapter provides for the adoption of minimum efficiency standards for new replacement tires sold or installed in the state. 31-23.4-2. Definitions. As used in the chapter:

(1) “Compensation” means money or any other valuable thing, regardless of form, received or to be received by a person for services rendered.

(2) "Department" means the department of transportation, division of motor vehicles.

(3) "Light-duty truck" means any motor vehicle other than a passenger car with a gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.).

(4) “Passenger car" means any motor vehicle designed primarily for transportation of persons, having a design capacity of twelve (12) persons or less, with a gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.).

(5) “Person” means:

(i) Any individual

(ii) Any corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society, trust, joint venture, or joint stock company.

(6) "Replacement tire" means a tire sold or offered for sale in the state, except a tire sold:

(i) At wholesale for final retail sale outside the state; or (ii)With a new passenger car or light-duty truck.

(iii) "Rolling resistance coefficient" means the ratio of the rolling resistance force, in newtons, to the load on the tire in kilonewtons.

(7) "Tire brand name owner" means a person, other than a tire manufacturer, who owns or has the right to control the brand name of a tire or a person who licenses another to purchase tires from a tire manufacturer bearing the licensor's brand name.

(8) “Wet grip" means the capacity of a tire to maintain adhesion and provide braking performance on a wet paved surface.

(9) "Tire manufacturer" means a person manufacturing or importing replacement tires for sale in the state. 31-23.4-3. Standards.

(a) Not later than eighteen (18) months after enactment of this chapter, the department shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of the chapter 35 of title 42 ("administrative procedures"), establishing energy efficiency standards for new replacement tires for passenger cars and light-duty trucks at levels that serve to promote energy conservation in the state and will be cost effective for consumers who purchase and use such new replacement tires;

(1) Tire efficiency shall be tested in accordance with Section 575.106 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (Tire fuel efficiency consumer information program), as in effect on the date of enactment of this chapter;

(2) The department shall also adopt minimum requirements for wet grip performance, as tested in accordance with ISO 23671(2021) (“Passenger Car Tires - Method for Measuring Relative Wet Grip Braking Performance - Loaded New Tires,”) to ensure that wet grip is maintained or enhanced as tire efficiency improves;

(3) The standards adopted by the department under this section may not adversely affect tire safety or tire longevity; and

(4) The department shall consider and adopt separate standards or exemptions for specialty tires, such as dedicated winter-type snow tires, spare use tires, tires manufactured specifically for use in vehicles with three (3) or fewer wheels, and tires manufactured specifically for use in offroad recreational or agricultural motor vehicles.

(b) The department may also adopt a rating system for the energy efficiency and wet grip of new replacement tires, considering rating systems adopted by other states. 31-23.4-4. Implementation.

(a) Twelve (12) months after the department adopts standards under § 31-23.4-3, no new replacement tire may be sold or offered for sale in the state unless it meets the requirements established by the department.

(b) One year after the date upon which the sale or offering for sale of new replacement tires becomes subject to the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, no new replacement tire may be installed for compensation in the state unless the tire meets the requirements established by the department.

(c) New replacement tires sold or offered for sale to state residents present in the state must meet the requirements established by the department regardless of the seller’s physical location, including, without limitation, any sales or offers to sell made through means other than in-person transactions, such as internet, telephone, or mail order communications. 31-23.4-5. Revisions and future standards.

(a) The department may adopt regulations, in accordance with the chapter 35 of title 42, to establish increased efficiency standards for new replacement tires. In considering such amended standards, the department shall set efficiency standards upon a determination that increased efficiency standards would serve to promote energy conservation in the state and would be cost effective for consumers who purchase and use such new products; provided that, no new or increased efficiency standards shall become effective within one year following the adoption of any amended regulations establishing such increased efficiency standards.

(b) The department may also adopt regulations to establish increased wet grip standards for new replacement tires to ensure that wet grip is maintained or enhanced as tire efficiency improves. 31-23.4-6. Testing, certification, labeling, and enforcement.

(a) Tire manufacturers and tire brand name owners of new replacement tires covered by this chapter shall test samples of their products in accordance with the test procedures adopted pursuant to this chapter. The department may adopt updated test methods by regulation when improved test methods become available or when an alternative test method has been adopted by another state or the federal government.

(b) Tire manufacturers of new replacement tires covered by this chapter shall certify to the department, or to an approved third-party database as determined by the department, that such tires are in compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The department shall promulgate regulations governing the certification of such tires and shall coordinate with the certification programs of other states with similar standards.

(c) The department may require that energy efficiency and wet grip ratings, if established under § 31-23.4-3, be displayed to consumers at the physical or online point of sale.

(d) The department may test new replacement tires covered by this chapter. If tires tested are found not to be in compliance with the standards established under § 31-23.4-3, the department shall:

(1) Charge the manufacturer of such tires for the cost of product purchase and testing; and

(2) Make information available to the attorney general and the public on tires found not to be in compliance with the standards.

(e) The department may cause periodic inspections to be made of distributors or retailers of new replacement tires covered by this chapter in order to determine compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The department shall investigate complaints received concerning violations of this chapter.

(f) If the department finds that any person has committed a violation of any provision of this chapter, the department shall issue a warning to such person. Any person who commits a violation after the issuance of such warning shall be subject to a civil penalty, issued by the department, of up to one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. Any further violations committed by such person after this second violation shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense. Each new replacement tire offered, sold, or distributed in violation of § 31-23.4-4, shall constitute a separate violation, each violation shall constitute a separate offense, and each day that such violation occurs shall constitute a separate offense. Penalties assessed under this subsection are in addition to costs assessed under subsection (d) of this section.

(g) If the department finds repeated violations have occurred, they shall report the results of such violations to the attorney general. The attorney general may institute proceedings to seek an injunction in court to enforce the provisions of this chapter.

(h) The department may adopt such further regulations as necessary to ensure the proper implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this chapter. 31-23.4-7. Severability. The provisions of this chapter shall be severable, and if the application of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, or part of this chapter shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the application of any other clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, or part of this chapter.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.