New hybrid electric vehicles to be sold beyond 2030 | Government to consult on criteria

The sale of new hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) is expected to be allowed until 2035, with the Department for Transport (DfT) to consult on what the qualifying criteria will be.

Fleet News revealed in July that the Government would be restoring the 2030 phase-out date for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, despite no mention of the changes being made in the King’s Speech.

However, it had not revealed whether hybrid EVs would still be allowed to be sold for a further five years and whether the same rules would apply to vans.

A Government spokesperson said: “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.

“The original phase out date included the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035. We will set out further details on this in due course.”

Speaking at the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association’s (BVRLA) annual Parliamentary reception last week, Richard Bruce, director of transport decarbonisation at the DfT, said that there will be no changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle (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.    

“When the Government brings forward the ban, a small proportion of the market will be hybridised,” Bruce explained.

In terms of infrastructure, he also told delegates at the BVRLA event: “Nobody knows how many charging units the UK needs; it’s (charging speeds/tech) moving quickly. But we recognise that the two big barriers are price and infrastructure.

“We are looking at how we bolster and sustain demand.”

The Government is expected to publish further details in the coming days.