Skip advert
Advertisement

No combustion engine ban exemptions for efuels says UK Government

New petrol and diesel cars will be banned from sale by 2035, with no plans to keep efuel-powered ICE cars on the market

eFuels

The UK Government has doubled down on its commitment to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, indicating that no exemptions will be made for efuels.

The Government held a ‘Green Day’ on 30 March, making a series of green energy announcements. It came in the same week that the EU confirmed it will allow the sale of new internal combustion-engined (ICE) cars powered solely by sustainable efuels to continue beyond 2035, with rumours that the UK would follow suit.

Some Tory MPs, meanwhile, called for the UK’s own ICE ban to be delayed. Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith was one, calling the 2030 deadline for ending the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars “simply not achievable”.

Advertisement - Article continues below

However, Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, insisted that the Government’s plans have not changed and boasted that the UK’s policies are “more forward-leaning” than the EU’s. He confirmed that new conventional petrol and diesel cars will be banned from sale by 2030. Some hybrids will be given a stay of execution until 2035, but exactly what the criteria for these vehicles will be remains unclear. Shapps added that there are currently no plans to make an exemption for efuels.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Alongside this, the Government announced the launch of a consultation on the details and proposed deadlines for its ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) Mandate. This policy, first announced in 2021, will set manufacturers rolling targets for a proportion of the cars they build to be zero-emission.

The proposal being put to consultation is that this target should be 22 per cent in 2024, rising to 80 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035. Although manufacturers would be able to trade allowances under the proposals, the Government says that, in cases where one company has multiple divisions or brands that each hold type approval for vehicles, each of these would be a separate participant. For example, within the Volkswagen Group, EVs made by VW or Skoda would not offset ICE cars built by Bentley or Lamborghini.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, commented: “While the proposals rightly reflect the sector’s diversity, late publication and lack of regulatory certainty make product planning near impossible, and the continued lack of clarity as to what technologies will be permitted beyond 2030 undermines attempts to secure investment.”

Should cars running on efuels stay on sale beyond the ICE ban? Let us know your view in the comments...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Hydrogen cars: are hydrogen fuel-cell cars the future?
Hydrogen pump

Hydrogen cars: are hydrogen fuel-cell cars the future?

Electric cars are entering the mainstream at full force, but do hydrogen cars also have a future on our roads?
Tips & advice
17 Jul 2025
Stellantis says no to hydrogen hype: stops Hydrogen Pro One fuel cell van project in its tracks
Vauxhall Movano Hydrogen connected to Hydrogen pump

Stellantis says no to hydrogen hype: stops Hydrogen Pro One fuel cell van project in its tracks

Clean, but complicated, hydrogen technology is just too hard to justify right now, according to Stellantis
News
16 Jul 2025
Hydrogen cars could soon be greener than EVs
BMW iX5 Hydrogen - front cornering

Hydrogen cars could soon be greener than EVs

If using renewable energy-based hydrogen, the ICCT says fuel cell vehicles could give off 79 per cent fewer emissions over their lifespans than ICE ca…
News
10 Jul 2025
Luxury Mercedes ‘leather’ made from old tyres is great news for the planet, and cows
‘Labfiber Biotech Leather Alternative’ - tyre and leather

Luxury Mercedes ‘leather’ made from old tyres is great news for the planet, and cows

The new material was first seen in the radical AMG GT XX concept, but will be used in the brand’s road cars
News
26 Jun 2025

Most Popular

New 2027 Vauxhall Corsa aiming to set the supermini standard
New 2027 Vauxhall Corsa exclusive image

New 2027 Vauxhall Corsa aiming to set the supermini standard

We’ve got all the gossip on Vauxhall’s all-new Corsa coming in 2027, and it might finally shake off its conservative image
News
22 Aug 2025
The future of Skoda: CEO talks new cars and how it beat BMW
The future of Skoda

The future of Skoda: CEO talks new cars and how it beat BMW

We’re not at peak Skoda yet – a flagship electric SUV and a small hatch will soon boost the line-up explains CEO Klaus Zellmer, in a long chat with Au…
News
23 Aug 2025
We're past the peak! New cars are growing far too complex, frustrating and expensive
Frustrating modern cars - Opinion, Dean Gibson

We're past the peak! New cars are growing far too complex, frustrating and expensive

Senior test editor Dean Gibson thinks that modern cars are becoming too complex and frustrating, signalling the end of ‘peak car’
Opinion
20 Aug 2025

Find a car with the experts