The UK government has launched a consultation on its review of the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) Mandate, seeking industry and consumer input on the route to the 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars.
The review is being carried out jointly by the UK government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure.
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It forms part of a wider commitment to assess the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (VETS) Order, commonly known as the ZEV Mandate, by early 2027, alongside the 2035 target for all new car and van sales to be zero-emission.
Vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, charge point operators, dealers, consumers and communities have been invited to take part.
Government figures show more than one in four new cars sold in the UK are now electric, with EV sales rising 45% compared with July last year.
July marked the “strongest” new car market since 2019, and over two million electric vehicles are currently registered on UK roads.
Manufacturers are said to be on track to meet their 2025 targets, aided by “built-in flexibilities”.
Citing difficult global economic conditions, including supply chain disruption and uncertainty around tariffs and trade, the government said it is “reviewing targets to ensure they remain pro-business and grounded in the real world”.
As part of efforts to expand the EV market, £7.5bn ($10.16bn) is being invested, comprising £4bn for DRIVE35 projects and £3.5bn directed towards grants for vans, trucks and cars, the Electric Car Grant, and charging infrastructure.
An additional £600m is earmarked to extend the public charging network, which currently includes more than 120,000 charge points, alongside over a million chargers installed in homes and workplaces.
This follows an earlier £400m investment that supported the rollout of more than 100,000 additional public chargers.
The consultation covers five parts.
The first four, addressed jointly by the UK government and devolved administrations, examine the ZEV Mandate’s impact so far, emerging challenges, policy options – including the existing ZEV trajectory, compliance flexibilities and alternative approaches – and the carbon implications of those options.
The fifth part, dealing with how the 2030 phase-out of new cars powered solely by internal combustion engines should be defined, falls under UK Parliament’s remit and is being consulted on separately by the UK government.
The 2030 phase-out commitment was originally announced in April 2025.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “The UK EV market is strong – sales are up, British manufacturers and charge point operators are investing billions, alongside our backing of £7.5bn, including our Electric Car Grant that has helped over 160,000 people make the switch.
“It is right we keep targets under review to ensure they are practical and back British industry.”
