THE British government is expected to cut its electric vehicle (EV) sales target for 2030 by about a quarter to around 60 percent, the Guardian reported on Sunday, citing government sources.
The mandate, introduced in 2024, requires carmakers to ensure a rising proportion of their annual sales are zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), with the target set at 33 percent of new car sales in 2026, rising to 80 percent in 2030 and 100 percent by 2035.
Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, is expected to finalize the plan after a meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday, the report said.
A government spokesperson said the government remained committed to the zero-emission vehicle mandate and that no decisions had been taken, according to the Guardian.
Haigh will probably approve a 2030 target of about 60 percent and extend the mandate’s flexibilities until 2034, the report said, citing government insiders.
The UK government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s government set out a range of options in August that could ease pressure on carmakers to switch new sales to zero-emission vehicles, launching a review of existing targets that gradually phase out new petrol and diesel cars.
Carmakers have argued that supply chain disruptions and insufficient consumer demand are making the mandate’s requirements difficult to meet. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 26.6 percent of new car sales year to date, compared with the 33-percent target for 2026, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said last week.
The SMMT called for “substantive changes” to ZEV mandate targets, including lowering them to better reflect demand.
