80% of new cars sold in UK to be zero emission by 2030 under new law

07 / 01 / 2024

By Marwa Nassar - -

About 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in the UK will now be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035 under a new law.

The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate sets out the percentage of new zero emission cars and vans manufacturers will be required to produce each year up to 2030.

The UK now has the most ambitious regulatory framework for the switch to electric vehicles of any country in the world, thanks to new laws which commenced January 3, 2024.

Following extensive consultation with industry and manufacturers, the mandate provides them with the certainty they have called for to safeguard skilled British jobs.

Technology and Decarbonization Minister Anthony Browne will visit a new bp pulse hub in London today to mark the occasion, where he will see their ultra-fast EV chargers in action and meet drivers who are benefiting from the facility.

This follows the pragmatic decision taken by the Prime Minister to delay the ban on new diesel and petrol cars from 2030 to 2035, putting the UK in line with other major global economies such as France, Germany, Sweden and Canada. This allows time for consumers to make the choice to switch to electric, and to level up our charging infrastructure.

The UK has overdelivered on every carbon budget to date, having cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50% since 1990. Recent Climate Change Committee analysis shows our more pragmatic approach has no material difference on our progress to cutting emissions, and households will now have more time to make the transition, saving some thousands of pounds at a time when the cost of living is high.

Technology and Decarbonization Minister Anthony Browne said “Alongside us having spent more than £2 billion in the transition to electric vehicles, our zero emission vehicle mandate will further boost the economy and support manufacturers to safeguard skilled British jobs in the automotive industry.”

“We are providing investment certainty for the charging sector to expand our charging network which has already grown by 44% since this time last year. This will support the constantly growing number of EVs in the UK, which currently account for over 16% of the new UK car market.”

In a boost for the economy, the new laws will help households make the switch to electric, supporting growth of EV sales in the second-hand market and incentivizing charging to roll out more widely across the country.

The government’s schemes to lower the upfront and running costs of owning an EV includes the plug-in van grant of up to £2,500 for small vans and £5,000 for large vans until at least 2025 and £350 off the cost of homeplace chargepoints for people living in flats.

Latest statistics show that there has been a 41% increase in zero emission vehicles registered for the first time.

The UK’s charging network continues to grow at pace – there are now over 50,000 public chargepoints, with 44% more than this time last year, putting the country well on track to reach 300,000 chargepoints by 2030. The certainty of the ZEV mandate will give industry renewed confidence to invest in our infrastructure.

Additionally, last month the UK and EU agreed to extend trade rules on electric vehicles, saving manufacturers and consumers up to £4.3 billion in additional costs and providing long-term certainty for industry.

Akira Kirton, Vice President, bp pulse UK, said “We are pleased to host the minister at our most powerful EV charging hub in central London to mark the start of the ZEV mandate.”

This mandate instills confidence in our strategy, reaffirming our plans to invest £1 billion over 10 years to continue to develop hundreds of EV charging hubs across the country by 2030 to bolster the UK’s charging infrastructure.