Verdict: False
There has never been a US law requiring any individual to buy an EV -- every so-called "mandate" regulated what automakers could sell, never what you could buy, own, or drive.
There has never been a US law requiring any individual to buy an EV -- every so-called "mandate" regulated what automakers could sell, never what you could buy, own, or drive. And in 2026 this myth is more wrong than it's ever been, because even the automaker-level pressure has mostly been dismantled: the EPA repealed its vehicle greenhouse-gas standards in February 2026 (a repeal now being challenged in court), Congress zeroed out fuel-economy penalties, the federal EV purchase credits are gone, and California's famous 2035 gas-car phase-out lost its federal waiver and is tied up in two lawsuits while most states that adopted it have paused enforcement. Nobody is coming for your gas car -- if anything, current federal policy pushes the other way. People who buy EVs in 2026 are doing it because the car is better for their life: cheaper to run, barely any maintenance, faster, quieter. Anyone still claiming they're "being forced" is arguing with a rule book that got shredded.
The federal credit is gone, but plenty of state and utility money is still on the table. It changes by state, so check yours.
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