Government to allow hybrid electric vehicles to be sold beyond 2030

Company Fleet  Driver Guides  Low Emission Vehicles 

Fleet choice lists could be bigger than expected after 2030 with the Government confirming some hybrid electric vehicles will be allowed to stay on sale until 2035.

As part of its 2024 election manifesto, Labour committed to end the sale of ‘new cars with internal combustion engines’ by 2030 after the deadline was moved to 2035 by the previous government.

However, the Department for Transport says “some” hybrid cars will be sold beyond 2030 and up to 2035, although there is yet to be a clear definition of ‘hybrid’.

A Government spokesperson said: “Further details will be set out in due course. 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.”

This means there will be no changes to the ZEV Mandate, which requires 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035.

Defining hybrids

The term hybrid applies to a range of technologies and capabilities. A mild hybrid uses a small battery and electric motor to boost power to a combustion engine, but it doesn’t run on electric power alone.

Full hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, have a slightly bigger battery that enables drivers to cover short distances in electric-only mode, typically a handful of miles.

Plug-in hybrids use bigger batteries and need to be plugged in to charge. The distance they can cover in electric-only mode typically varies from 30-60 miles depending on the model.

Manufacturers have raised fears that the ZEV Mandate targets could be missed without long-term government incentives, particularly for vans.

---

View our latest blog posts