From 2024 on, car companies must sell more electric cars each year.
The Government wants more zero emission vehicles on the road – and less petrol and diesel ones.
So, it has set targets: increasing each year until 2030.
This year, 22% of cars sold by each car manufacturer must be fully electric.
If a car company doesn’t manage this, they get fined: as much as £15,000 per car over the target.
These targets are not easy to hit.
Unfortunately for car companies, electric cars aren’t as popular right now as they need to be.
Roughly 19% of all cars sold so far this year in the UK have been fully electric.
But because the target is set on each car company individually, some will struggle while others don’t.
Some brands – like Tesla and Polestar – only sell electric cars, so don’t have to worry.
For most other car manufacturers though, petrol-powered cars still make up the majority of their sales.
It’s these companies that will really be affected by the ZEV Mandate.
What does this mean for me?
If you’re looking to buy a car in the next few years, you might notice a few changes – depending on the brand you’re interested in.
Electric cars may get cheaper.
Car companies must hit their targets somehow – even if it means reducing the prices of electric cars to encourage some more sales.
It’s already happening, and is likely to continue – good news if you’re looking to go fully electric.
Petrol cars may get more expensive.
Even if the official ‘list price’ of a petrol car doesn’t change, it’s less likely that you’ll find discounts or offers on one.
Can I still buy a petrol car?
Officially, new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars won’t be banned until 2035. But their supply will gradually get reduced compared to electric cars.
Some models may disappear altogether.
Car companies are already removing some petrol models from their ranges. Suzuki will stop selling the Ignis, Swift Sport and Swace this year, for example.
Some brands may limit petrol car sales.
If a particular car company is struggling to sell enough electric cars, it may simply restrict how many petrol cars it sells to balance things out.
So while you’ll be able to still buy a petrol or diesel car this year, it might not be from the brand you had in mind.
What about hybrid or hydrogen cars?
Hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars are not considered ‘zero emission’, as they still have a petrol (or diesel) engine.
As such, they too are being phased out – and get bundled in with regular petrol cars, rather than electric ones.
Cars powered by a hydrogen fuel cell would be counted, alongside battery electric cars, as zero emission.
However, very few are currently on sale in the UK – and there are less than 10 hydrogen filling stations in the UK to power them.
Will used cars be affected?
The ZEV Mandate only targets new car sales. Used car sales are unaffected.
In other words, if you can’t get your hands on a new petrol or diesel car in the next few years you’ll still be able to buy a second hand one.
What’s less certain is what will happen to the prices of used petrol and diesel cars.
If demand for petrol-powered cars outstrips supply, we may see the values of second hand ones increasing.
However, there’s no telling what else will be done to encourage people into electric cars.
Banning petrol cars from town centres, for example, would likely decrease their values.
Should I buy an electric car in 2024?
Petrol cars won’t disappear overnight, but there are plenty of great reasons to consider an electric car today.
Here are a few of the best EVs to consider buying now – even before petrol cars are phased out.
Nissan Ariya
From £39,000
VW ID Buzz
From £59,000
Skoda Enyaq
From £39,000
Mazda MX-30
From £28,000
Latest on the ZEV Mandate
News around the ZEV Mandate is changing every day.
To keep up with the latest info from the Government and car companies, check out our Latest News page.
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