UK EV Sales Targets 2026: Government Weighs Cut to 50%

The UK government has initiated a major review of its electric vehicle sales policies, which could lead to significant reductions in targets originally set for automakers. The move comes in response to heavy lobbying from car manufacturers who argue that production costs remain too high and consumer demand is failing to keep pace with current mandates.

Under the existing ZEV mandate framework, automotive brands are required to increase their proportion of zero-emission vehicle sales annually, starting at 22% in 2024 and rising to 33% in 2026 on the path toward an 80% target by 2030. However, the government has announced it is now considering lowering that final decade target to 50%, with a formal public consultation open until late October 2026.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

While the outright ban on selling pure petrol and diesel cars past 2030 remains firmly in place as promised by Labour during its election campaign, the proposed changes could grant car makers greater flexibility to sell hybrid vehicles as a larger share of their overall market portfolios.

Independent calculations by the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit indicate that scaling back the pure electric sales target to 50% would result in approximately 2.6 million fewer electric cars operating on UK roads by 2035, threatening long-term carbon reduction milestones.