The UK government has relaxed the rules on electrified car sales for the 2030 deadline

The UK government has relaxed the rules on the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, so (among other stuff) hybrids will continue to be sold until 2035.

Though policymakers aren’t willing to push the no-more-pure-petrol-or-diesel deadline back from 2030, there’s now additional scope to encourage drivers into electric, and ‘help the industry prepare’.

In a move the Germans would call ‘Realpolitik’, the mandate has been updated to reflect the fact folk aren’t really ready to buy pure EVs, and the country isn’t really in a position to charge all those EVs even if they were.

Along with more flexibility around the targets carmakers have to hit in the coming years – the bigger numbers will kick in later in the decade when consumer demand is (hopefully) higher – there’s also a way for manufacturers to swap car credits for van credits and vice versa.

The changes to the mandate also mean smaller manufacturers, such as McLaren and Aston Martin, will have an exemption from the quotas on the grounds that their production numbers are too small to make any meaningful difference. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ”Global trade is being transformed so we must go further and faster in reshaping our economy. [The changes] will help ensure home-grown firms can export British cars built by British workers around the world and the industry can look forward with confidence, as well as back with pride. And it will boost growth that puts money in working people’s pockets.”

Stellantis chief, Eurig Druce, said there's still work to be done though. “Whilst more people are moving to electric, it’s not yet at the pace of the ZEV mandate. We welcome the flexibilities to allow our customers more freedom of choice," he said. "However, there is still a need to address market demand and introduce measures to stimulate it. We will continue to work closely with Government on this.”

AA President Edmund King echoed the sentiment. “Generally, drivers are hesitant, but most are not hostile to the change. Help is needed to stimulate demand for EVs including broader fiscal incentives.

"Drivers still raise concerns about cost of purchase, cost of charging and availability of chargers. Range anxiety itself is a thing of the past as AA breakdown figures show only 1.85 per cent of all EV breakdowns are due to running out of charge compared to approximately 1 per cent of ICE vehicles running out of fuel.”

Today's update did not specifically address the introduction of an incentive for buying electric, or discuss any further action the government is taking regarding EV charge point implementation beyond the £2.3 billion commitment already made. However, the Government has said the mandate remains open for review based on the impact of the targets. More as we get it.