The UK Government has launched a new consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, and is now seeking views on a pathway to ending sales of new petrol and diesel cars.
Currently, the Mandate dictates that all sales of new petrol and diesel cars must cease by 2030, and that all cars and vans manufactured beyond 2035 must be zero emission.
The consultation seeks the views of vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, charge point operators, dealers, consumers and communities, and comes as the UK recorded the strongest new car market since 2019 in July – which has primarily been driven by a growing demand for electric vehicles, with more than one in four new cars sold in the country now electric.
Electric vehicle (EV) sales have risen by 45% when compared to July of 2025, and over two million electric vehicles are now registered on UK roads.
The Government’s Electric Car Grant, which offers up to 3,750 GBP off the cost of a new EV, has thus far helped to assist over 160,000 drivers in the purchase of an EV since it launched last July.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander said:The UK EV market is strong - sales are up, British manufacturers and charge point operators are investing billions, alongside our backing of 7.5 billion GBP, including our Electric Car Grant that has helped over 160,000 people make the switch.
It’s right we keep targets under review to ensure they're practical and back British industry. The end goal hasn't changed – but we need to take business with us on the journey, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today, by making sure industry has the chance to shape how we get there.
Currently, manufacturers are on track to meet their 2035 targets, and have built-in flexibilities in order to help them so do. However, due to the context of challenging and complex global economic conditions, including supply chain disruption and tariff and trade uncertainty, the UK is reviewing targets to ensure they remain ‘pro-business’ and ‘grounded in the real-world’.
With this in mind, the consultation’s purpose is to better inform the Government and ensure that it delivers on previous promises to keep the Mandate under review to ensure it remains fair for industry and that it continues to drive growth, as well as being responsive to global markets and delivering better choice for consumers.
The Government has announced investments of 7.5 billion GBP to grow the market, boost EV manufacturing, increase sales and build up the UK charging network – including 4 billion GBP for DRIVE35 projects, and 3.5 billion GBP for van, truck and car grants, the Electric Car Grant, and EV charging infrastructure.
This new consultation asks for views on how the UK will reach the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and whether the existing annual targets for manufacturers remain appropriate and seeks to deliver the long-standing commitment to review the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate by 2027.
In order to support the growing number of EVs on UK roads, as well as drive growth across the country, the Government is investing 600 million GBP to roll out more charge points, building on the 120,000 already available on the public network and over a million in homes and workplaces – building on the 400 million GBP already being used to deliver more than 100,000 more public chargers across the UK.
The consultation is set to run until 23 October.
