Half of new cars sold in the UK will have to be electric within five years despite Rishi Sunak’s delay in banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars

Automakers will remain subject to quotas on the number of electric cars they sell
Conservative MPs attack delay to 2030 target to ban petrol cars as ‘almost worthless’
Manufacturers will be fined up to £15,000 for each car that fails to meet quotas

By David Churchill Chief Political Correspondent

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Half of new cars sold in the UK will have to be electric within five years despite Rishi Sunak’s delay in banning sales of new petrol and diesel cars Share or comment on this article:

Updated: 18:18EDT, September 26, 2023

More than half of new cars sold in the UK will have to be electric within five years, despite Rishi Sunak delaying a ban on sales of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles, it emerged yesterday.

Automakers will still be subject to quotas, meaning a certain percentage of the vehicles they sell must be electric.

The timetable will stand despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week delaying the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars until 2035.

Conservative MPs said that meant last week’s announcement was actually “almost useless and worn out”.

Within the framework of the so-called ‘ZEV [zero-emission vehicle] “mandates”, manufacturers will be fined up to £15,000 for each car sold that does not meet the quotas.

Car manufacturers will remain subject to quotas, meaning a certain percentage of the vehicles they sell must be electric (File image)

Starting next year, 22 percent of new car sales will need to be electric, rising each year to 80 percent by 2030 (File Image)

Manufacturers will be fined up to £15,000 for each car sold that does not meet quotas

Starting next year, 22 percent of new car sales will need to be electric, rising each year to 80 percent by 2030.

Government officials met with BMW, Toyota, Stellantis, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Bentley and McLaren earlier this week to tell them the targets would remain and become law no later than January, the Times reported.

Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay, head of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, said: “If these rising quotas remain unchanged, unfortunately the Prime Minister will have upset his net zero supporters by extending the ban until 2035, but also me and others by to do that”. almost useless and threadbare extension.

‘Good things sell themselves. “This is simply not conservative thinking and I fear it will not work.”

Sir Alok Sharma, former chair of the Cop26 climate summit, announced last night that he will not stand again as an MP in the next general election. Sir Alok, who criticized Sunak’s announcement last week that he was slowing progress towards net zero, vowed to continue championing the cause of “climate action”.

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