Drive Forward Leaders
Passenger Vehicle Manufacturers
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is recognizing automakers that have certified clean vehicles and are investing in zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders have voluntarily certified at least 90% of their total production volume of California passenger vehicles for model year (MY) 2026 to optional California certification regulations for new 2026 and subsequent MY on-road light- and medium-duty engines and vehicles. These regulations were adopted by CARB in 2022 and can be found in Title 13, California Code of Regulations, sections 1962.4, 1962.5, 1962.6, 1962.7, 1962.8, 1969, and 1961.4. For vehicles with combustion engines, these standards are comprised of the Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) IV criteria pollutant emission regulations for smog-forming pollutants. For ZEVs, the requirements for certification are collectively known as the ZEV Assurance Measures. These manufacturers have certified their remaining California passenger vehicles for MY 2026 to the Advanced Clean Cars I standards, not exceeding 10% of total production volume. The Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders list supports Executive Order N-27-25.
Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders
- American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
- BMW of North America, LLC
- Canoo
- General Motors
- Hyundai Motor North America
- Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
- Kia Motors America
- Lucid
- Mazda North American Operations
- Mercedez-Benz USA
- Mitsubishi Motors North America
- Nissan North America
- Rivian
- Subaru of America, Inc.
- Tesla
- Toyota Motor North America
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
- Volvo Cars of North America
This list was updated on March 18, 2026. CARB reserves the right to amend the list without prior notice.
Future Updates to Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders
CARB will maintain and update the Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders list at least annually, to reflect the latest vehicle certification information. These future updates will include manufacturers that certify vehicles in future model years, as described above, and continue to make investments in ZEVs relative to their MY 2026 ZEV sales shares (including plug-in hybrids) in California according to one of the following options:
Option 1: Manufacturers that have ZEV sales share at or above 20% need to maintain at least a 20% ZEV sales share in future model years.
Option 2: Manufacturers that have MY 2026 ZEV sales share below 20% will need to increase their ZEV sales share by 2 whole percentage points for each future model year, starting with MY 2027, until they reach 20% ZEV sales share. Once the 20% ZEV sales share is met, manufacturers must maintain or exceed this threshold.
Background
Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders is one part of CARB’s recently launched Drive Forward initiative that reaffirms California’s leadership in clean air and climate policy and charting the next phase of the State’s light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle programs. This effort builds on the foundation established through ZEV Forward, and is guided by Executive Order N-27-25. Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders is one of several activities that CARB is undertaking to implement the directives of Executive Order N-27-25.
Drive Forward Light-duty Leaders provides the latest information on those manufacturers that have voluntarily certified a majority of their total production volume to the most stringent optional California certification regulations. These regulations were adopted by CARB in 2022 and begin with the 2026 light-duty vehicle model year. They include smog-causing criteria pollution standards, known as LEV IV, that were cleaner than the previous standards, updates to the zero-emission vehicle regulation, and established measures to ensure zero-emission vehicles can provide enduring emissions reductions. These regulations were built on the foundation of the Advanced Clean Cars I regulations that were adopted by CARB in 2012. The Advanced Clean Cars I regulations included low-emission vehicle regulations for smog-causing criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases, known as LEV III, and zero-emission vehicle sales mandates, known as the zero-emission vehicle regulation.