Hybrids get green light to 2035 as PM eases ZEV Mandate

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Mon, 07 Apr 2025

The government has confirmed hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius and Nissan Qashqai e-Power, will be green-lighted for sale until 2035, rather than being banned from 2030.

The confirmation is part of changes to the controversial ZEV Mandate, which are aimed at helping car makers struggling with a combination of global headlines and weak private buyer demand for EVs.

Plug-in hybrids will also be allowed between 2030-35 – although mild hybrids are unlikely to be allowed.

Vans have won a reprieve too, with petrol, diesel, hybrid and PHEV vans all permitted until 2035.

What’s more, while the headline phase-out-of regular petrol and diesel cars from 2030 has been confirmed, low-volume supercar brands have won a reprieve.

Firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren, which sell fewer than 2500 cars a year, will be exempt from both 2030 and 2035 regulations.

So long as they meet agreed CO2 reduction targets, petrol-powered supercars will be sold beyond 2035, something that is considered a major win for the UK’s world-leading low-volume brands.

Bigger car brands have won flexibilities to the rules too. As well as allowing hybrids to be sold, the huge £15,000 fine for brands who miss their ZEV targets have been reduced by 20% to £12,000.

It is not expected that any OEMs will actually pay any fines either, because the government has introduced more flexibilities up to 2030, so brands can offset short-term slow EV sales by overperforming in later years.

Up to now, car firms whose EV sales are lagging have been able to ‘borrow’ against future sales up to 2026. This has been extended up to 2030.

They can also use improvements in non-EV CO2 emissions to lower their electric car targets too – and those brands that sell vans will get two electric car credits for every electric van they sell.

The changes have been made following consultation with the car industry. The concern was that assumptions made when the ZEV Mandate was devised several years ago were becoming increasingly unrealistic, and the EV transition wasn’t happing as quickly as expected.

Crucially for the government, the changes keep the existing 2030 and 2035 phase-out dates, but bring welcome flexibility to help the car industry reach them.

PM Sir Kier Starmer called the revisions "bold changes to the way we support our car industry."

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the package will "protect and create jobs – making the UK a global automotive leader in the switch to EVs – all the while meeting our core manifesto commitment to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030."

Recent figures show that while March 2025 was a record-breaking month for EV registrations, total registrations fell far short of this year’s 28% ZEV Mandate target.

Indeed, with a mix of 19.4%, electric car sales didn’t even meet last year’s 22% target – despite March being the most important month of the year for new car registrations.

Ask HJ

Is it worth buying a new non-hybrid car?

Is it worth buy a new non hybrid car? With hybrids being more fuel efficient and the government banning new car sales in the near future?

Certainly for the time being it is about buying the car that suits your needs and your budget. The current guidance suggests that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be phased out by 2030 and hybrids by 2035, so it will still be possible to buy a petrol or diesel car for at least five years. At present there is no legislation regarding used cars and it is inconceivable that every petrol or diesel could be replaced overnight, so there will be cars powered by internal combustion engines for years to come. It is possible that the used values of ICE cars could be impacted by the ban or changes in VED rates, but it is also possible that their values would be stronger post-2030 if buyers are resistance to switching into hybrids or EVs.

Answered by David Ross

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