Almost six out of 10 (57%) used car dealers expect the Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate for the New Year to be met, according to new research.
January’s Startline Used Car Tracker also shows that 44% of respondents believe the government will soon be forced to revise their targets, and 20% that those for the rest of the decade are unachievable.
Compiled monthly by APD Global Research, the Startline Used Car Tracker this month questioned 303 consumers and 60 dealers.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said final figures hadn’t yet been released, but it appeared the 2025 ZEV Mandate car target had probably been missed by a handful of percentage points despite the introduction of substantial new car grants by the Treasury alongside widespread discounting and pre-registration from manufacturers.
He said:
“Against that backdrop, it’s perhaps a little surprising that so many dealers are feeling optimistic the 2026 target of 33% will be met. However, other indicators in our research have shown an improvement in sentiment among retailers toward electric cars in recent months and this finding is probably a reflection of that trend.
“Still, it’s clear the ZEV Mandate is an area where dealer opinion is very much divided, with 44% believing the targets are unattainable in their present form and will need to be revised and relaxed. It’s notable that the government has already said it will bring forward its date to reexamine these from 2027 to this year.”
Startline’s research also shows that a net +70% believe more government support is needed for new electric car sales and 74% for used.
Burgess added:
“The high level of support for used car market intervention revealed here is notable. There is an argument that the functioning of the used market is the weakest area of the whole electrification process at the moment. Dealers often report that while electric cars generally sell quickly, low values are persisting and even potentially worsening.”
Finally, a net +44% of dealers surveyed believe plug-in hybrids are proving to be an important transitional technology, and +26% believe it is significant that some manufacturers are reintroducing hybrid and even petrol drivetrains.
Burgess concluded:
“It has perhaps become clear in the last year or two that electrification will be more of a gradual and uneven process than was first envisaged and we’re seeing some manufacturers take a step back and once again offer older technologies. It appears many dealers believe this is the right decision.”
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