Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told MPs she would bring forward a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate — the rulebook that governs how quickly manufacturers must move their sales to electric. She wants what she called "meaningful" discussions with ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland before opening a public consultation. That's the news. The part that got lost in some of the coverage is her flat statement that there is no suggestion the 2030 or 2035 dates will change.
The one-line version: The deadlines stand. New pure petrol and diesel cars can't be sold from 2030; new hybrids go in 2035. The review is about the annual EV sales targets carmakers must hit on the way there — not about scrapping or delaying the ban itself.
What the 2030 and 2035 dates actually mean
It's worth being precise, because the word "ban" does a lot of heavy lifting. From 2030, manufacturers will no longer be able to sell brand-new cars that run purely on petrol or diesel. From 2035, new hybrids and plug-in hybrids go too, so every new car sold has to be zero-emission at the tailpipe. That's the whole of it. The dates apply to the sale of new vehicles — not to the cars already on the road.
So if you own a petrol or diesel car, nothing about these dates stops you owning it, driving it, servicing it or selling it for many years afterwards. The used market carries on: someone buying a three-year-old petrol hatchback in 2031 is doing something entirely legal. What changes is the new-car showroom, and even there the shift is gradual rather than a switch flicked overnight.
So what's genuinely under review?
The ZEV mandate sets a rising annual quota for the share of each manufacturer's new sales that must be electric — this year's headline figure is 33%, climbing year on year toward roughly 80% by 2030. Carmakers argue the top of that ramp is steep: if the market is running nearer 26% EV sales right now, jumping to 80% in a few years is a tall order without either heavy discounting or paying penalties. Their pitch to ministers, in effect, has been to ask whether the interim targets could be made more realistic.
The mandate already has flexibility built in. Manufacturers can earn credits by cutting emissions across their non-electric models, "borrow" credits against stronger EV sales they expect in future years, or carry over a surplus from previous years. The review is expected to look at exactly these mechanisms — how generous the flexibilities should be, and whether the annual milestones need reshaping — rather than touching the 2030 finish line.
Still to come: This is a review and a consultation, not a finished decision. The Government has to consult the devolved administrations before anything is put to the public, so the detail can still shift. Treat confident headlines about specific new targets with caution until an actual consultation is published.
The bit that hits your wallet: charging costs
Alongside the mandate review, the Government pointed to a separate piece of work that matters more to everyday budgets: a review of public charging costs, due to report later this year. The concern is a fairness gap — drivers who can charge at home pay far less per mile than those who rely on public chargers, who often pay a significant premium. Ministers also note there are now around 120,000 public charge points across the UK, with funding committed for roughly 100,000 more.
For anyone weighing up whether their next car is electric, that home-versus-public gap is one of the real deciders — often more so than the sticker price. It's the same principle this site is built on for petrol and diesel: the headline "average" price matters far less than what you actually pay where you fill up or plug in.
What this means for you
If you drive a petrol or diesel car, the practical takeaway is simple: nothing changes for you right now, and nothing about this review makes your current car any less legal or usable. The things that actually affect your running costs this year — pump prices, fuel duty and car tax — are separate matters. We track the weekly national averages on our UK Fuel Price Index, and you can see how the tax side works in how much of your fuel bill is tax and our roundup of the 2026 driving law changes.
If you're buying a new car in the next few years, the mandate is worth understanding, because it quietly shapes what's on the forecourt and at what price. As quotas tighten, manufacturers have less room to push new petrol and diesel models, which can firm up demand — and values — for good used ICE cars. None of that is a reason to rush a decision; it's a reason to go in informed.
The practical move right now: Ignore the "ban scrapped / ban in doubt" noise and make decisions on the facts: 2030 for new petrol and diesel, 2035 for new hybrids, your current car unaffected. Whatever you drive today, the money you can control is at the pump — a quick price comparison before you fill up beats worrying about a showroom change that's still years away.