• The EPA is taking action to get rid of disliked start-stop systems.
  • Agency is scrapping fuel economy credits that led to their fitment.
  • Move is part of repeal of 2009 Obama EPA Endangerment Finding.

Modern cars have tons of features that are well-intentioned, but send some drivers into a rage, and start-stop is one system many say they’d happily do without. This week the EPA gave idle-lovers some good news, revealing a plan that could leave start-stop stopped for good.

“In the single largest deregulatory action in US history, President Trump and I are now announcing the repeal of the 2009 Obama EPA Endangerment Finding, ALL vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards that followed, and ALL off-cycle credits that include the much-despised start-stop feature in vehicles,” the EPA’s administrator Lee Zeldin wrote on X.

More: These Are The Worst Standard Features In New Cars That Need To Go, According To You

Zeldin has been openly critical of the technology for months, vowing last year to take action against something he claimed “everyone hates.”

For anyone blissfully unaware, start-stop systems shut the engine off when you come to a halt and fire it back up when you lift off the brake. The idea is simple: save fuel, cut emissions, make life more bearable for people whose houses are close to stoplights and grab a few extra miles per gallon while idling in traffic.

It Does Work

The systems can improve fuel economy by around 5 percent, and studies show they can deliver as much as a 10 percent saving in urban environments. Though the EPA never insisted that automakers fit start-stop, the technology has become commonplace because brands earn fuel economy credits. It is unlikely to disappear immediately, and automakers might simply decide to retain the feature but have the default set to “off.”

EPA Just Killed Modern Cars’ Most Controversial Feature

Fixes Already Available

Every new vehicle we can think of already lets drivers switch it off with a button, although you have to do it every time you restart the car, which is exactly what annoys so many people. But those folk only have to look online to see that Amazon and eBay are full of cheap wiring connectors purpose-built to bypass the tech permanently.

Also: Trump To Dump The Only Rule Stopping Unlimited Auto Pollution

Critics argue the tech is irritating, say they like the reassuring hum of an idling engine, and question long term wear, though experts say modern starters and batteries are designed for the extra cycles. Supporters counter that it quietly saves drivers money and cuts emissions with minimal effort.

Do start-stop systems drive you nuts and are you happy about their possible demise, or do you think they should remain in place along with the Biden-era fuel economy targets the Trump administration is also getting rid of?