UK set to cut 80% EV sales mandate this week as carmakers win relief

The UK government is expected to reduce its requirement that 80% of new cars sold be electric by 2030, with an announcement likely this week.

The move would hand carmakers the "urgent relief" industry groups have demanded for months. It would also set up a fresh clash with environmental organizations, which warn that weakening the target threatens the UK's long-term electrification and climate goals.

Downing Street has insisted no decision has been made. A government source told the BBC the issue would be approached in a "pragmatic and balanced" way.

What's on the table?

Under current rules, 80% of new cars sold in the UK must be electric by 2030. New petrol or diesel cars are due to be phased out by 2030, and by 2035 all new cars must be zero emission.

The government has been consulting on reducing the 80% rule, and a significant reduction is now expected. The speed of the transition to electric has been hotly debated — including within the cabinet itself.

A government spokesperson reaffirmed the formal commitments: "We are committed to the phase out of all new cars relying solely on petrol and diesel engines by 2030, and to 100% of new car and van sales being zero emission by 2035, and our legally binding net zero targets."

Net zero means balancing the amount of planet-warming greenhouse gases produced by human activities with the amount actively removed from the atmosphere.

Why the timing matters

If ministers opt for a steeper watering-down of the rules, some will read it — alongside the approval of the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea — as Prime Minister Andy Burnham prioritizing economic considerations over environmental ones.

The petrol and diesel phase-out policy has already been rewritten several times since former Prime Minister Boris Johnson first introduced it in 2020. His successor, Rishi Sunak, pushed the timeline back to 2035. The Burnham government then set up a review of the EV sales targets in August.

The UK is not moving alone. Pressure inside the European Union saw the bloc scrap a similar plan to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035, driven particularly by countries with large auto industries such as Germany.

Domestic politics adds another layer. The Conservative Party has vowed to abandon the petrol car ban if it wins the next election. Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called the policy a "well-meaning, but ultimately destructive piece of legislation."

Who wins and who objects?

Carmakers stand to gain the most from a reduced mandate. Industry groups have long argued the current trajectory demands too much, too fast, and have pressed the government for concessions ahead of the 2030 deadline.

Sustainability groups push in the opposite direction. They say any weakening of the 2030 target will threaten the UK's long-term electrification plans and its legally binding climate commitments.

That leaves the government balancing two constituencies: an auto industry warning of unworkable mandates, and environmental campaigners warning that each dilution makes the net zero pathway harder to walk.

What happens next?

The announcement is expected this week. Its size will signal how far Burnham is willing to go — a modest adjustment would preserve the framework, while a steep cut would mark a decisive shift toward industry's position and invite the same political fight that has followed this policy through three prime ministers since 2020.