How the CARS Act Protects Hispanic Consumer Choice in the Automobile Market
March 24, 2025
The LIBRE Initiative believes that individuals, not the government, should decide how they spend their hard-earned money. The Biden administration, via Environmental Protection Agency rules and Executive Orders repeatedly attacked consumer choice through the implementation of unnecessary regulations. The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act seeks to halt these kinds of regulations in the auto market that limit freedom and ultimately make products more expensive. It should be individuals and families, not the government that decides what kind of automobile is works best for their needs—whether that’s a modern all electric vehicle (EV) or a time-tested gas-powered one.
Well intentioned government regulations often try to influence our decision toward one type of car over the other, but while the government only focuses on emissions as the only measure of worthiness in car, we as consumers know better.
We know that that the mile range of a vehicle matters whenever we visit our family members in distant areas, often through rural areas with few chargers along our path. We also know that the payload of a vehicle matters whether it’s transporting tools for work or carrying new furniture home in our trucks.
This is why LIBRE supports the CARS Act, introduced by Representative Tim Walberg (MI-5), and cosponsored by Representatives Russ Fulcher (ID-1), Gus Bilirakis(FL-12), and Rick Allen (GA-12). This legislation would protect consumer choice from the intrusion of government regulations that cause consumers to pay more for the vehicles they want.
Latinos make up 18% of the U.S. population, but account for 24% of all car sales—meaning that these kinds of regulations have an outsized impact on the Latino community.
The CARS Act would keep gas-powered vehicles prices low by blocking the EPA from enforcing emission standards planned for vehicles made in 2027 and beyond, as well as prohibiting future EPA regulations that mandate specific technologies or limit vehicle availability based on engine type.
About 6 in 10 Latinos report being interested in a gas-powered car or sedan as their next vehicle, more than any other category available. Only about 4 in 10 Latinos said they were interested in either a plug-in hybrid or fully-electric vehicle.
Hispanics may only account for 12.4% of EV owners, but it’s not due to lack of interest. Compared to other racial groups, only Asian Americans outrank Latinos in terms of enthusiasm for considering purchasing or leasing an EV as their next vehicle, so the question remains, why does the government feel like it needs to intervene and distort the market through heavy handed regulations?
What regulators get wrong about the slow adoption of EVs among Hispanics compared to other groups is that price is only one of the many reasons why Hispanics often opt for gas-powered vehicles instead.
Issues like limited charging infrastructure, low battery range, and long charging times are all reasons why the Hispanic community still prefers gas-powered vehicles over EVs. Using regulations to artificially raise the cost of gas-powered vehicles to make EVs more price competitive, won’t fix the issue, rather it just taxes Hispanics for living in areas that are not conducive to being able to own an EV.
Given the already high support for EVs, genuine adoption will come—just not from government regulations—but from innovation that make EVs the obvious superior choice over any gas-powered vehicle. Regulations that make EVs more price competitive do not foster innovation; they only hinder it. Only by making EV companies compete fairly with traditional gas-powered car companies can they be effectively incentivized to meet the moment and create EVs that are better for all Americans, not just a select few.
Until that happens, LIBRE is calling upon Congress to support Representatives Walberg (MI-5), Fulcher (ID-1), Bilirakis(FL-12), and Allen (GA-12) and pass the CARS Act now to ensure Hispanics are not forced to pay more for the vehicles they need.
