Government's EV targets expected to be reduced this week

The UK government's electric vehicle (EV) targets are expected to be reduced this week in a move likely to be welcomed by carmakers but opposed by environmental groups. Under the current rules, 80% of new cars sold in the UK must be electric by 2030 but industry groups have long called for "urgent relief". Sustainability groups say any weakening of the 2030 target will threaten the UK's long-term electrification and climate goals.

Net zero means balancing the amount of planet-warming "greenhouse" gases produced by human activities with the amount being actively removed from the atmosphere. The government's policy to phase out petrol and diesel vehicle sales has undergone multiple changes since it was first introduced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020. His successor Rishi Sunak pushed back the timeline to 2035, and the Burnham government set up a review of the EV sales targets in August.

Pressure in the European Union saw the bloc scrap a similar plan to ban new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035, particularly from countries with large auto industries such as Germany.