A taxi trade group is suing to block a city measure that requires all new yellow cabs to get 25 miles to the gallon.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade contends that the measure set to take effect on October 1 would force cab fleets to purchase hybrids and that hybrids aren’t tough enough for a commercial fleet —  and can’t withstand the 24/7 demands of the streets of New York.

The trade association’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on September 8, is based in part on an engineer’s report saying that the hybrids aren’t built to be in operation around the clock and that side-curtain airbags might not deploy properly in vehicles with a partition between the driver and the rider. The report’s author says hybrids should undergo crash testing.

Although the city legal department declined to comment on the suit, New York Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Matthew Daus told news organizations the hybrids are safe. Daus dismissed the complaints about them and about the new regulation.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade says it represents about a quarter of New York’s 13,000 cabs. Its suit contends that in setting a fuel efficiency requirement for cabs, the city is pre-empting the federal government’s authority to set fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions standards.

By law, city fleet operators must replace a vehicle after three years of service. According to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, about 3,000 yellow cabs are replaced each year and hybrids already make up about 11 percent of the fleet.