Labour backs away from 2030 ban on new petrol cars
Hybrid vehicles will be allowed until 2035 in boost to consumers and motor industry
MINISTERS are planning to back away from a total ban on the sale of new petrol-powered cars by allowing hybrids to remain on the market until 2035.
In its election manifesto, Labour promised to scrap the sale of “new cars with internal combustion engines” by 2030 as part of efforts to reach net zero.
The language suggested that new hybrids, such as Nissan’s best-selling Qashqai which uses a petrol or diesel engine in conjunction with a battery, would be covered by the ban.
But amid growing reluctance among drivers to buy electric vehicles and concerns about range, resale value and the availability of charging points, as well as lobbying from the manufacturing industry, the Government is expected to make clear that hybrids will still be sold for an extra five years after “pure” petrol and diesel cars.
Helen Whately, the Tory shadow transport secretary, said on Friday that Labour “either didn’t know what they were committing to” during the election “or have realised it isn’t possible”.
The decision is likely to delight motorists, who have proved far more willing to embrace hybrids than electric cars. Production of electric Fiat 500s was halted in Europe last week because of a lack of orders. In recent weeks, manufacturers including Volvo and Toyota have announced plans to extend hybrid production amid cooling EV demand.
Allowing 20 per cent of new car sales to be hybrids until 2035 is likely to cause friction with campaigners who are critical of hybrids’ emissions. Greenpeace has called hybrids the industry’s “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
Ms Whately said: “This is the worst of both worlds. It doesn’t do much to drive down emissions and it’s moving too fast for businesses and motorists. Labour spent years in opposition saying they’d give businesses certainty, but they’re backsliding within months.”
A source said: “This Government’s policy has always been to revert to the original 2030 phase-out date for the sale of new vehicles with pure internal combustion engines. The original phase-out date included the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035. We will set out further details on this in due course.”
Labour’s policy had previously been ambiguous, leaving the possibility that hybrids may also be banned, according to car makers.
In July, Mike Hawes, of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said companies were concerned the 2030 ban could mean “a complete end of everything that has a tail pipe.” Under the consultation, the Government
is planning to keep in place rules introduced under the Tories that force manufacturers to ramp up sales of electric cars.
The regulations, known as the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, require 22 per cent of cars sold by manufacturers to be electric from this year, rising gradually to 80p per cent by 2030.
The Government’s plans were revealed this week at a gathering of car industry executives in Parliament, where a senior civil servant in the Department for Transport said ministers planned to consult on the changes “as soon as possible”.
A senior Government official told the gathering: “This Government’s come in and said they’re going to move back to a phase-out date for petrol and diesel cars of 2030. Now, that doesn’t mean we’re shifting the [ZEV] mandate to be 100 per cent EV in 2030. To reassure you, we are staying at 80 per cent in 2030.
“What it means is, there will have to be some sort of hybridisation of the remaining 20 per cent.”
It is not yet clear which hybrids will qualify for sale in the final five years up to 2035. That definition will be decided as part of the consultation process, The Telegraph understands.
Hybrids come in a range of types: from “mild”, which use small batteries to support a petrol or diesel-fueled engine, to plug-in hybrids that have large batteries capable of powering a car for short trips before needing to switch to a petrol engine.
Mr Bruce said the consultation will clear up this ambiguity. The reassurance follows a slowdown in demand for EVs across Europe that has spooked automotive companies and prompted warnings that legally-binding sales targets in the UK are too “aggressive”.
Manufacturers face fines of £15,000 for every petrol car sold over a set quota. The system has led to complaints that car makers are restricting the supply of petrol and diesel cars for fear of falling foul of the rules.
The Government’s revised policy means it will be adopting the original plan proposed by former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2020. Rishi Sunak pushed the ban on pure petrol sales back to 2035, claiming an earlier date would impose “unacceptable costs” on families.