Reports yesterday have suggested that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to further dilute the ZEV Mandate.
According to stories in The Sunday Times and other national outlets, Starmer has responded to calls from the business secretary Peter Kyle, the SMMT, and the Unite union to reduce the Mandate from 80% of new car sales being completely battery-electric by 2030 to just 50%.
The Mandate has been consistently challenged and altered, around every six months or so, since it was first introduced. In 2023, the-then Rishi Sunak changed the date to 2035, from a planned phase out of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030.
Then, as a Labour Party manifesto commitment at the General Election in 2024, then leader of the opposition Keir Starmer vowed to reverse this decision, bringing the deadline back to 2030 – a decision which could now be changed again.
It said: “Labour will support the transition to electric vehicles by accelerating the roll out of charge points, giving certainty to manufacturers by restoring the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines.”
In 2025, the 2030 date was reinstated, but due to industry pressure, with added flexibilities to the Mandate. A review of the Mandate was imminent in 2027, and was already planned within the government framework.
But now it would appear further changes are imminent, despite it being less than a year since the last set of amendments to the Mandate.
In March at the SMMT Electrified event, transport minister described the ZEV Mandate as “iron clad”.
The news follows ChargeUK’s research last week that embracing a stable ZEV Mandate would deliver £15.5bn to the UK economy – and even reversing current flexibilities added last year would result in a multi-billion pound boost.
Other studies have also recently shown the net-zero jobs opportunity, which has already added 1.1 million roles to the UK economy and more than £105bn in Gross Added Value.
Describing the rumoured decision, which is still potentially weeks away from being announced, the Unite union said it was a “huge win” for car workers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
“This is a huge victory. UK car workers have been increasingly fearful for their jobs.
“The government at the highest level has listened to the concerns of Unite and is now set to act decisively to protect the jobs of UK automotive workers.”
The electric vehicle and charging sector has responded to the rumours, highlighting how it will undermine confidence, certainty and business decisions.
Writing on LinkedIn, President of the AA, Edmund King OBE, said:
“If this Sunday Times story is correct it will put the cat amongst the pigeons. But for how long? Will we see another flip flop if Andy Burnham gets in and appoints Ed Milliband as Chancellor? Consumers and industry need stability.”
Vicky Read, CEO, ChargeUK, said:
“That the Prime Minister is considering weakening the key policy underpinning the £385 billion economic opportunity from transport electrification is astonishing. Weakening the ZEV Mandate for a third time would not only slam the brakes on infrastructure rollout and send the entire transition into a tailspin. It would bring Britain’s reputation as a market worth investing in into disrepute.
“The charging sector has ploughed billions into putting chargers in the ground on the basis of this policy, ahead of profitability. It is expected to support 71,000 jobs by 2035, and we will not see the 334,000 it could provide the foundation for across the automotive sector as it electrifies without the mandate staying as it is. This government said it would not flip flop like the previous did. To move the goalposts again would be exactly that — an act of self-harm denying the country a forward facing, economically prosperous industry leaving us behind the rest of the world.”
Tanya Sinclair, CEO, Electric Vehicles UK, said:
“This is exactly the kind of reactive policy-making we warn against. Constant changes of direction create uncertainty for drivers and businesses, undermine confidence and make investment decisions harder. The problem is not electric vehicles.
“The problem is a government that has yet to establish a clear policy position and maintain it.”
Greg Jackson, founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, said:
“It looks like the government has chosen short-termist incumbent lobbying instead of the long term future of industry. The fossil fuel market is shrinking globally and our best hope is to speed up development of electric vehicles not go the other way.
“This hesitation undermines the credibility of government commitments which were supposed to give certainty to investors. Fewer EVs will mean higher electricity bills for everyone as we spread lower demand over ever higher fixed grid costs, less investment in charge points and a very dim future for our car industry.”
Simon Smith, chief executive of Voltempo, said:
“Watering down the mandate is a concession to the slowest movers in the industry, not a reflection of what drivers want.
“People aren’t buying electric cars because regulation tells them to. They’re buying them because they save money every month and shield households from oil price swings. That logic doesn’t weaken because a target does. The economics are doing the heavy lifting now, not the policy.”
Matt Adams, Head of Electrical Transport Systems at BEAMA comments:
“Investors back certainty. Weakening the ZEV mandate risks sending exactly the wrong signal to businesses backing the UK’s EV transition.
“Manufacturers have committed to the UK because Government set out a clear and ambitious direction of travel for electrification. Moving the goalposts now risks undermining confidence just as demand for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure continues to grow.
“At a time when the UK should be attracting capital into EV manufacturing and charging infrastructure, mixed policy signals risk making it harder to secure investment.
“That could slow progress, confuse consumers and make the UK a less attractive place to do business.”
Guy Bartlett, CEO of Believ, said:
“Believ has committed over £300m of private investment to build EV charging infrastructure ahead of demand, helping support the 35-40% of UK households without access to a driveway as they make the transition to EVs.
“That investment was made on the strength of the ZEV Mandate. At a time when markets such as China are moving quickly and with clear intent, the UK cannot afford to send mixed signals on the pace of the EV transition. If this review results in further flexibilities, it will look less like leadership and more like hesitation at exactly the moment the market needs certainty. Any softening of the framework risks slowing EV uptake, creating greater uncertainty for infrastructure investment, and making it harder to justify rollout in lower-utilization and harder-to-serve locations. That would directly disadvantage the drivers and communities who are relying on public charging to make the switch.
“We support the government’s 2030 ambition, but ambition must now be backed by consistency. The UK still has the opportunity to lead, but only if policy gives the market the confidence to keep investing at pace.”
Delvin Lane, CEO, InstaVolt, said:
“Consumer demand is strong and the network is growing to meet it. In England and Wales, drivers are never more than 30 miles from an InstaVolt charger. The infrastructure is not lagging behind. We have 3,000 chargers across more than 900 locations, with another 300 sites coming over the next year. What matters now is that any changes to the mandate are made with the whole ecosystem in mind. Charging investment runs on long lead times, and operators need a stable, credible policy framework to plan, build and attract capital. We would urge Government to work closely with the charging sector as it finalises any changes.”
Mark Constable, Head of Transport Policy at the Renewable Energy Association said:
“Our members have spent years investing in charging infrastructure, fleet electrification, software, skills and services to support the EV transition. Every time the government weakens the mandate, it undermines those investments and rewards delay over innovation. The result is not only uncertainty for businesses, but higher emissions and poorer air quality as the transition to cleaner transport is pushed further into the future.”
Vicky Edmonds, Chief Executive Officer of EVA England, says:
“Watering down the ZEV Mandate again would be a mistake. The voice that keeps being forgotten in this debate is the driver. UK drivers are not anti-EV. EV demand is clearly accelerating, sales have been growing steadily, drivers who make the switch overwhelmingly like the cars, and our own research shows 95% would not go back to petrol or diesel.
“Many drivers are clearly prepared to go electric if the right conditions are in place. Rather than endlessly tweaking targets and creating more uncertainty, manufacturers should be focused on turning demand into sales, and the Government should be focused on making the switch easier, fairer and more affordable.
“That means bringing upfront costs down for lower and middle-income households, and making sure affordable charging is available to everyone, including the millions of drivers who cannot charge at home. Changing course again would send exactly the wrong signal: damaging confidence when what drivers need is clarity, practical support and a transition that works for them.”
Robin Heap, CEO and Founder of EV charge point operator Zest, said:
“Further weakening the ZEV Mandate would create uncertainty at precisely the wrong time. Charging infrastructure investors make decisions over 15- to 20-year time horizons. The UK has attracted significant private investment into EV charging because the direction of travel has been clear and consistent. Stable policy attracts capital; uncertainty delays it.
“Electrification is the future of transport. If the UK wants to remain competitive and continue attracting investment and jobs, it needs to provide businesses with confidence in the long-term transition rather than revisiting it every year. Last year’s changes should also give pause for thought. Greater flexibility around hybrids has helped drive stronger plug-in hybrid sales, but most of those vehicles are manufactured outside the UK. Further weakening the mandate may therefore do little to support the domestic jobs and investment it is intended to protect.”
Image courtesy of Green Car Guide
