The UK government is set to water down its electric vehicle sales targets, a move that could dramatically reshape how many hybrid cars you'll see on the road by 2030. After intense lobbying from carmakers and unions, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has overruled his own energy secretary, Ed Miliband, to reduce the required share of pure electric cars from 80% to just 50% of all new sales by the end of the decade.
The core of this policy is the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, first introduced by the Conservatives in 2023. It forces car manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of electric cars each year, with the original goal of reaching 80% fully battery-electric vehicles by 2030. The Labour government had already tweaked the rules last year to allow more plug-in hybrid sales, but now it is preparing to go further. Under the new proposal, hybrids — which combine a petrol engine with a small battery — would be allowed to make up a far bigger share of sales. The 2030 ban on new purely petrol or diesel cars remains in place, and the 2035 deadline for phasing out new hybrids is also unchanged.
“The UK plans to weaken EV sales targets, reducing pure electric car requirements from 80% to 50% by 2030.”
Why is this happening? The car industry and the Unite union warned that the original targets would penalise manufacturers and put jobs at risk. Electric vehicle sales are rising but still lag behind the mandates: in May, 27.3% of new car registrations were battery electric, well below the 33% target for 2026. Carmakers say they have to offer heavy discounts to shift EVs, because production costs haven't fallen as fast as expected. Facing these pressures, Starmer opted to back Business Secretary Peter Kyle over Ed Miliband, choosing to soften the mandate rather than stick rigidly to net-zero goals.
For UK readers, this matters on several levels. If you're thinking of buying a new car soon, you may see more hybrid options available for longer, and pure electric cars might remain more expensive than expected. The change also affects the government's wider climate ambitions. Campaigners have warned that increasing hybrid sales will drive up emissions, since hybrids still burn petrol. On the job front, the government argues that easing the targets will protect manufacturing jobs in a struggling industry. But the shift also means the UK's transition to electric transport will be slower, with potential knock-on effects on charging infrastructure investment and air quality targets.
Q: What is the UK's ZEV mandate? The Zero Emission Vehicle mandate is a regulation that requires carmakers to sell a rising percentage of electric cars each year. It was introduced in 2023 and originally aimed for 80% of new sales to be fully electric by 2030. Manufacturers that miss the targets face fines.
Q: Why is the government weakening the targets? After pressure from the automotive industry and the Unite union, the government is reducing the all-electric requirement to 50% by 2030. Carmakers and unions warned that the original targets would penalise manufacturers and risk job losses, as EV production costs remain high and sales haven't kept pace.
Q: Will the ban on new petrol and diesel cars still happen? Yes, the 2030 ban on selling new cars that run purely on petrol or diesel remains in place. However, because hybrids will now be allowed to make up a larger share of sales, many new cars will still have a petrol engine. The separate 2035 deadline for phasing out new hybrids also stays unchanged.
What happens next? The government will soon launch a consultation on the revised targets, bringing forward a review that was originally scheduled for 2027. The exact timeline for implementation is not yet set, but the direction is clear: the UK's path to an all-electric car fleet will be slower and more hybrid-heavy than originally planned.