Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Honda exhibits active positive and negative engagement with climate regulations in 2023-25. While the company generally has positive top-line statements on climate policy, it has advocated against zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandates in multiple regions.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Honda has generally positive top-line messaging on climate policy. It supported the Paris Agreement and GHG emissions reductions in line with IPCC timelines in its 2025 ESG Data Book, published in June 2025. Honda also endorsed a January 2024 open statement promoting the circular economy in Asia to achieve urgent emissions reductions.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Honda has mostly negative engagement with US policymakers on regulations to decarbonize road transport, but has taken a supportive position in Australia. In October 2023 US federal regulatory comments, Honda Motor advocated to reduce the stringency of proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and questioned the legality of parts of the agency’s proposed regulation. In July 2023 US regulatory comments, Honda appeared to oppose the EPA’s proposed federal GHG emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles, calling for lower ambition and advocating to maintain the off-cycle credit program that may reduce the stringency of the regulation.
In Australia, in a February 2024 Which Car article, a Honda Australia spokesperson appeared to support the Australian government’s proposed New Vehicle Emissions Standard (NVES). In Brazil, in a January 2024 press release, Honda Brazil broadly supported the Green Mobility and Innovation Program (MOVER) which aims to promote sustainability and innovation in the automotive industry.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Honda has engaged to weaken certain regulations that directly incentivize BEVs over ICE-powered hybrids. In the UK, in a May 2023 UK consultation response found via freedom of information (FOI) request, Honda appeared to call for an effective delay to the UK’s ZEV mandate by advocating for 2024 (the proposed start year) to be a monitoring year only, emphasizing concerns with the ZEV mandate trajectory. In the same consultation response, Honda advocated to include sales of ICE-powered hybrids from 2030-35 as part of the UK's ICE phase-out policy. Honda also appeared unsupportive of the UK’s ZEV sales mandate in a July 2023 Politico article. In a July 2023 public statement reported by The Telegraph, Honda urged the UK government to delay implementing fines for the UK ZEV mandate by a year until after 2024. However, the company seemed to take a more positive position on the policy in a February 2023 Times article by criticizing delays to its implementation.
In Europe, Honda advocated for the use of hydrogen for light duty vehicles (fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) and hydrogen powered internal combustion engines (H2ICE) alongside battery electric vehicles in a July 2025 joint letter to policymakers on the EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation. In North America, in July 2023 federal regulatory comments, Honda appeared unsupportive of the rapid adoption of BEVs in the US. Honda also opposed a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate in Canada in a February 2023 media statement.
In Indonesia, Honda Prospect Motor, subsidiary of Honda, consistently advocated for a longer term role for ICE-powered light-duty vehicles over rapid electrification with emphasis on conventional hybrids in June 2025, November 2024, and February 2024, and Kompas articles.
Honda’s CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, seemed broadly supportive of the EV transition in a May 2023 statement and a July 2023 press release. Likewise, an August 2024 Motor1 article reported a statement from the former vice president of Honda, Shinji Aoyama, that “we have not changed our belief that battery EVs are the most effective solution in the area of small mobility, such as motorcycles or automobiles” However, in an August 2024 joint conference with Nissan, Mibe promoted a role for ICE-powered vehicles until at least 2040 and 2030 respectively. An April 2024 Nikkei article also reported that a Honda executive appeared to support the extended role for ICE-powered hybrids, stating that hybrids will continue to be important going forward.
Honda broadly appears to support a transition to a low-carbon energy sector, showing support for green hydrogen production on the Honda Brazil corporate website, accessed in July 2025. It also supported the transition towards renewable energy in its 2023 ESG Data Book, published in June 2023.
Industry Association Governance: Honda has provided an incomplete list of its trade association memberships on its 2025 Sustainability data book, released in June 2025. The company published its second industry association review which includes assessments of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) where Honda CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, is a vice chairman, which has mostly negative climate policy engagement, and the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) of which Executive Vice President of Honda Motor Europe is a committee member, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) where head of Car (UK) of Honda Motor Europe is a committee member, and the National Association of Automotive Vehicle Manufacturers (ANFAVEA) where head of Honda's Customer First division is Vice President. Honda also disclosed its membership to the Alliance of Automotive Innovation which has mostly negative engagement with US climate policy. In the US, a Honda executive is a board member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). A senior executive from Honda is on the board of Directors at the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which has mostly negative engagement with Australian climate policy. Honda is also a member of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), all of which have both negative and positive engagement with climate policy in their respective regions.
A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement every week, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 (July-September) 2025.