The government has confirmed – not for the first time in the last six months – that it will ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
The deadline, which aims to phase out 100 percent fossil fuel cars and increase the adoption of electric vehicles, officially reverses the previous government’s decision to delay the ban by five years to 2035.
The 2030 date was clarified again in recent days when the new Transport Minister, Heidi Alexander, announced a consultation on the deadline for the phase-out – and promised to provide more clarity to manufacturers and more confidence among drivers.
Both the industry and motorists have been in a state of limbo since Labor came to power, especially when the effectiveness and future of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) is also taken into account as car manufacturers have to meet higher annual sales targets.
Can the deadline change again after the consultation? And how have manufacturers reacted to the news?
We take a look at the current state of play regarding the banning of new petrol and diesel cars.
The government has confirmed that the ban on new petrol and diesel cars will remain in place until 2030. The new Minister of Transport Heidi Alexander announced the move this week
The ban on ICE cars in 2030 – what has been announced and what are the changes?
Alexander – who replaced Louise Haigh as Transport Secretary late last year – has confirmed that ‘no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030’ and that by 2035 ‘all new cars and vans must be 100 per cent emissions-free’. ‘.
Labor has said this will ‘restore clarity for manufacturers, deliver renewed confidence for investors in charging infrastructure and give confidence to consumers considering making the switch’.
The announcement is part of the consultation launched by the Department for Transport (DfT) on the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
Although this mainly involves government cooperation with the automotive industry and charging point providers to make the transition easier, the public is also asked to give their opinion.
Labor said it will ‘restore clarity to manufacturers, provide renewed confidence to investors in charging infrastructure and give confidence to consumers considering making the switch’
What consequences will the 2030 ban have for motorists?
The most important conclusion for motorists is that after 2030 you will no longer be able to buy a new petrol or diesel car.
Whether or not you can purchase a new hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle remains to be seen and will be discussed with car manufacturers and industry players as part of the consultation.
After 2030 you can still drive petrol and diesel cars and hybrids, you just cannot buy new petrol or diesel cars. Whether you can get new hybrid cars is being discussed
Which cars can I drive after 2030?
You can still drive petrol and diesel cars and hybrids, and you can also buy used ones.
The only difference is that you can no longer buy new petrol and diesel cars and manufacturers will not sell them.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that disincentives are likely to be put in place to convince people to stop driving petrol and diesel cars. This could come in the form of taxes or even parking restrictions and higher rates for fuel cars.
You can also continue driving classic internal combustion cars indefinitely.
The 2030 ban deadline has been pushed back before – will it stick this time?
Originally introduced by Boris Johnson in November 2020, the ban on new petrol and diesel cars was planned for 2030. However, the Tory Party had also previously mooted it for 2040 and 2035, before settling for the end of the decade.
However, in October 2023, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak postponed the 2030 ban until 2035, citing financial reasons including the high upfront cost of electric vehicles and limitations of charging infrastructure.
He also said that uptake is already at a good level.
Sunak explained: ‘I think that, at least for now, it’s you, the consumer, who should make the choice, not the government forcing you to do it.’
During the run-up to the 2024 general election, a key promise as part of the Labor manifesto was to restore the 2030 deadline, as well as doubling down on the supply of charging points to help achieve this.
The main car promise was intended to provide certainty to manufacturers and help reduce emissions.
However, after Labor won the election, the new government did not officially confirm that 2030 would be restored as promised – nor did it mention it in the King’s speech.
In August 2024, This is Money first revealed that Labor would indeed reinstate 2030, after industry insiders told us they had 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 Ministry of Transport brings public clarity for both manufacturers and drivers.
While there are no guarantees that the deadline won’t move again, or that another general election won’t change plans, it’s safe to assume that 2030 will stick around, at least under a Labor government.
Electric future: The ZEV mandate will force automakers to sell an increasing number of electric vehicles between now and 2035
How is the automotive industry affected and what is being done to support it?
One of the biggest problems for the auto industry is that the 2030 deadline continues to slide.
As an industry, automotive plans decades and cycles ahead, making it incredibly difficult to shift production on the fly. Manufacturers have therefore been calling for ‘clarity’ for years.
Matt Galvin, managing director of Swedish EV brand Polestar, told This is Money last year: ‘What car manufacturers need is certainty to support product life cycle planning.’
When 2030 was originally pushed back to 2035, Lisa Brankin, chairman of Ford UK, told us: ‘Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. A relaxation by 2030 would undermine all three.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Brankin added: ‘All we really need is government-backed stimulus to urgently boost the uptake of electric vehicles.’
Ford UK’s Lisa Brankin said the car company has invested millions in its development and manufacturing facilities to meet the 2030 timeframe
In light of the recent news, it is not surprising that manufacturers, including Stellantis and Ford, have ‘welcomed’ both the tightening of the 2030 deadline and the consultation.
But they still warn that more ‘incentives’ are needed to ensure the uptake of private electric cars.
Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, says Auto Express: “If the level of residential customer demand is not at the level necessary to meet the future goals of the ZEV mandate, then we must implement incentives to build momentum.”
An example sure to polarize opinion is another ‘scrappage scheme’, with Philpott saying: ‘We all remember the scrappage program of 2009 and 2010 and the relatively modest government stimulus – this saved the car industry for two years .’
When will the DfT consultation end?
The consultation ends at 11.59pm on February 18 and the DfT will then work with stakeholders to implement suggestions.
How can you have your say?
You can give your views on the consultation by completing a response form available on the government website and returning it to the email address provided.
Or you can write to the following address:
ZEV control team
Ministry of Transport
3rd floor Great Minster House
Paardenveerweg 33
London
SW1P 4DR
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