The government is reportedly preparing to reduce the 2030 zero emission car sales target from 80% to around 60%, potentially easing pressure on manufacturers and their dealer networks.
The change would represent a 20 percentage-point reduction, or a quarter of the existing target, according to The Guardian newsletter.
Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, is expected to finalise the policy following a Downing Street meeting on Wednesday, November 11 which will reduce the target to around 60% and extend the mandate’s compliance flexibilities until 2034. However, the government has stressed that no final decision has been taken.
A spokesperson said: “The government is united in its commitment to the ZEV mandate and no decisions have been taken.”
Existing 2035 target would remain
The existing mandate requires zero emission vehicles to account for 33% of each manufacturer’s new car sales in 2026, rising to 80% in 2030.
The reported change would not alter the government’s commitment to phase out sales of new cars powered solely by petrol and diesel by 2030 or require all new cars and vans to be fully zero emission from 2035.
The government launched a formal review of the mandate in August, setting out options to retain the 80% target or reduce it to 70%, 60% or 50%. It also consulted on extending existing flexibilities.
Battery electric vehicles accounted for 26.6% of new car registrations during the first 10 months of 2026, compared with the 33% headline mandate target for the year.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has forecast that BEVs will achieve a 27.2% share across 2026, leaving a 5.8 percentage-point gap to the mandated level.
What a reduction would mean
A lower trajectory could reduce the need for manufacturers to use heavy discounts, subsidised finance and dealer incentives to push EV registrations beyond underlying consumer demand.
For dealers, that could ease pressure on new EV margins and reduce some of the volatility affecting nearly-new and used electric vehicle values.
A slower mandated transition could also allow networks more time to align stock, training, workshop capability and charging investment with local customer demand.
However, further policy changes could prolong uncertainty for dealers that have already invested heavily in EV infrastructure and skills. Charging companies have also warned that weakening the mandate could undermine confidence in infrastructure investment.
The government’s review consultation closed on October 23. Any change to the mandate would require the existing Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes Order to be amended.