The Government has – not for the first time in the last six months – confirmed that it will ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
The deadline, which aims to phase out 100 per cent fossil fuel cars and increase uptake of electric vehicles, officially reverses the previous government’s decision to delay the ban by five years to 2035.
The 2030 date was clarified yet again in recent days when new Secretary for Transport, Heidi Alexander, announced a consultation into the phase out deadline – as well as promises to give more clarity to manufacturers and increased confidence to drivers.
Both industry and motorists have been left in uncertain limbo since Labour came into power, especially when also considering the effectiveness and future of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandates an annually-increasing sales targets for car makers.
Could the deadline change again following the consultation? And how have manufacturers responded to the news?
We take a look at the current state of play for the outlawing of new petrol and diesel cars.
The Government has confirmed that the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars will go ahead. The new Secretary for Transport Heidi Alexander announced the move this week
The 2030 ban on ICE cars – what has been announced and what are the changes?
Alexander – who replaced Louise Haigh as transport minister at the end of last year – has confirmed that ‘no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030′ and by 2035 ‘all new cars and vans will need to be 100 per cent zero emission’.
Labour has said this will ‘restore clarity for manufacturers, provide renewed confidence for charging infrastructure investors and give confidence to consumers considering making the switch’.
The announcement is part of the consultation the Department for Transport (DfT) has launched into the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
While this mainly involves the government collaborating with the automotive industry and charging point providers to make the transition easier, members of the public are also asked to share their views.
Labour’s said it’ll ‘restore clarity for manufacturers, provide renewed confidence for charging infrastructure investors and give confidence to consumers considering making the switch’
How will the 2030 ban affect drivers?
The key takeaway for drivers is that after 2030 you won’t be able to buy a new petrol or diesel car.
Whether or not you will be able to buy a new hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle remains to be seen and will be discussed with car makers and industry players as part of the consultation.
You can still drive petrol and diesel cars and hybrids after 2030 you just won’t be able to buy new petrol or diesel cars. Whether you’ll be able to by new hybrid cars will be consulted on
What cars can I drive after 2030?
You’ll still be able to drive petrol and diesel cars and hybrids, and you’ll also be able to buy used examples.
The only difference is that you won’t be able to buy any new petrol and diesel cars and manufacturers won’t be selling them.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that there are likely to be disincentives put in place to persuade people to stop drive petrol and diesel cars, which could come in the form of taxes or even parking restrictions and increased fees for fuel cars.
You can also continue to drive internal combustion classic cars without restriction too.
The 2030 ban deadline has moved before – will it stick this time?
Originally introduced by Boris Johnson in November 2020, the ban on new petrol and diesel cars was scheduled for 2030. However, the Tory party had also previously mooted it for 2040 and 2035, before settling on the end of the decade.
However, in October 2023, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak postponed the 2030 ban to 2035, citing financial reasons including the high upfront cost of EVs and charging infrastructure restraints.
He also said that the uptake is already on a good level.
Sunak explained: ‘I think that, at least for now, it should be you, the consumer, that makes that choice, not government forcing you to do it.’
During the build up to the 2024 general election, a major promise as part of Labour’s manifesto was to reinstate the 2030 deadline, as well as dually increasing chargepoint provision to help achieve this.
The key motoring pledge was set out to give certainty to manufacturers and to help reduce emissions.
However, after Labour won the election the new Government didn’t officially confirm 2030 would be reinstated as pledged – and didn’t mention it in the King’s Speech.
In August 2024, This is Money first revealed that Labour was indeed going to reinstate 2030, after industry insiders told us that they’d received written confirmation from the Department for Transport and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
This was then reiterated in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget.
This week’s official announcement from the Department of Transport brings public clarity to both manufacturers and drivers.
While there are no guarantees that the deadline will not shift again, or that another general election won’t change plans, it can be assumed that 2030 will stick, at least under a Labour government.
Electric future: The ZEV mandate will force car makers to sell an increasing volume of EVs between now and 2035
How is the car industry affected and what is being done to support it?
One of the biggest issues for the car industry is that the 2030 deadline keeps shifting.
As an industry, automotive plans decades and cycles in advance, which makes it incredibly difficult to shift production at the drop of a hat. As a result manufactures have been calling for ‘clarity’ for years.
Matt Galvin, UK managing director of Swedish EV brand Polestar, told This is Money last year: ‘What vehicle manufacturers need is certainty to support product lifecycle planning.’
When 2030 was originally pushed back to 2035, Lisa Brankin, Ford UK chair, told us: ‘Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.’
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Brankin added: ‘The one thing that we really need is government-backed incentives to urgently boost the uptake of electric vehicles.’
Lisa Brankin of Ford UK said the car firm had invested millions into its development and manufacturing facilities to meet the 2030 timeframe
In light of the recent news then it is unsurprising that manufacturers including Stellantis and Ford have ‘welcomed’ the firming up of the 2030 deadline as well as the consultation.
But they are still warning that more ‘incentives’ are needed to ensure private EV uptake.
Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK told Auto Express: ‘If the level of demand from retail customers is not where it needs to be to hit future ZEV mandate targets, then we need to put incentives in place to build the momentum.’
An example, which is bound to polarise opinion, is another ‘scrappage scheme’ with Philpott saying: ‘We all remember the scrappage scheme of 2009, 2010 and the relatively modest government incentives – this saved the car industry for two years.’
When does the DfT’s consultation end?
The consultation will end on at 11.59pm 18 February, and the DfT will then work with stakeholders on implementing suggestions.
How can you have your say?
You can contribute your thoughts to the consultation by filling out a response form found on the government’s website and sending it back to the email address provided.
Or you can write to the following address:
ZEV regulations team
Department for Transport
3rd Floor Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR
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