Overview
- The government launched the consultation on 14 August 2026 and will accept responses until 23 October 2026 as it re‑examines annual Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) obligations for manufacturers.
- Options set out in the consultation include keeping the 80% 2030 battery‑electric vehicle (BEV) target, reducing it to 70%, 60% or 50%, or retaining 80% while extending compliance flexibilities such as credit trading to 2034.
- Ministers stress the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel‑only cars and the 2035 zero‑emission end goal remain in place, but the review focuses on whether the interim sales quotas and compliance rules should change.
- Car makers and franchised dealers say current annual quotas force heavy discounting, threaten margins and jobs, while charging firms and investors warn that weakening targets or policy uncertainty could deter private capital for UK charging networks.
- The consultation arrives as BEV sales make up about one in four new cars and independent analysis warns a cut to a 50% 2030 target could remove up to 5.8 million BEV sales from the current trajectory, affecting the pace of the 2035 phase‑out.