Electric cars took up most of the top 10 spots on the list this year. And that probably has much to do with the previous administration’s policies. The backstory: When he was in office, former President Joe Biden imposed increasingly stringent emissions standards for cars and trucks. He included the use of EVs in calculating the rules. The other side: President Donald Trump expressed doubts about the performance and reliability of electric vehicles, though he had some notably positive comments about the company owned by Elon Musk, despite their fractured relationship. "I like Tesla," Trump said. However, when it comes to cars, Trump said he likes combustion engines but for those that prefer otherwise, "If you want to buy electric, you can buy electric." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a rule in early June that Biden-era fuel economy standards for gas-powered cars and trucks are illegal and moved to reverse them, paving the way for a likely reset of rules. Big picture view: Combined with Senate language in the pending budget bill to eliminate penalties for exceeding standards regulating how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel, automakers moving forward could come under less pressure from regulators to reduce their pollution. Ultimately, the nation’s use of electric vehicles could be slowed. The move aligned with the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to slash federal support for EVs. Trump has pledged to end what he has called an EV "mandate," referring incorrectly to Biden’s target for half of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. EVs do not use gasoline or emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. Tariffs and the auto industry Why you should care: One of the biggest concerns highlighted by the makers of the American-Made Index ranking were the rising costs of what were reliably affordable cars for American consumers. Automakers and independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide.