UK must observe EU and delay ban on sale of diesel and petrol vehicles, consultants warn

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Your help makes all of the distinction. Learn extra The UK’s ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles must be delayed after it emerged the EU is poised to push again its personal crackdown, senior trade figures have advised.

On the coronary heart of the warning is concern {that a} U-turn on the continent would imply not sufficient electrical autos being constructed within the subsequent half decade to permit Britain to push forward with its plans.

The EU was set to ban new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2035, 5 years after an analogous ban is because of be introduced in within the UK, however that measure is ready to be watered down as early as subsequent week following strain from carmakers and highly effective nations within the bloc, resembling Germany and Italy.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/11/08/16/46/M25.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/11/08/16/46/M25.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/11/08/16/46/M25.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="The EU is poised to delay a ban on new petrol car sales (file photo)" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

The EU is poised to delay a ban on new petrol automobile gross sales (file photograph) (Getty/iStock) German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday stated he “supported” a climbdown, saying the “actuality is that there'll nonetheless be hundreds of thousands of combustion engine-based vehicles world wide in 2035, 2040 and 2050”.

Amid issues over the way forward for one in every of Europe’s most essential sectors, and a rising menace from China, Manfred Weber, the president of the EPP, the biggest social gathering within the European Parliament, stated this despatched an essential sign "to the whole automotive trade and secures tens of 1000's of commercial jobs".

The UK’s net-zero insurance policies, led by setting secretary Ed Miliband, embody a ban on the sale of pure petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030. Dr Andy Palmer, a former chief govt of Aston Martin, stated the UK must observe the EU’s lead due to the excessive variety of autos traded between the 2 areas.

“It turns into very troublesome as a result of if the EU drops their ban the factories there gained’t ramp up their EV (electrical automobile) manufacturing in the best way forecast. There wouldn’t be sufficient EVs to fulfill the demand required within the UK,” he instructed the Instances. Different trade sources instructed the paper {that a} evaluate of the mandate which units out the proportion of autos producers promote that should be inexperienced due for 2027 must be introduced ahead.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/12/09/9/35/Government-Ministers-Attend-Weekly-Cabinet-Meeting-6uug66z4.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/12/09/9/35/Government-Ministers-Attend-Weekly-Cabinet-Meeting-6uug66z4.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/12/09/9/35/Government-Ministers-Attend-Weekly-Cabinet-Meeting-6uug66z4.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="The EU’s move will put pressure on environment secretary Ed Miliband" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

The EU’s transfer will put strain on setting secretary Ed Miliband (Getty Photos) However supporters of the autos known as on the EU to stay to its present plan.

Chris Heron, the secretary-general of E-Mobility Europe, the commerce physique, stated: “Europe should maintain a transparent funding sign for the shift to electrical autos. Weakening the 2035 goal could be a worrying backwards step, dragging us again to yesterday’s applied sciences and undermining the industries investing in Europe’s electrical future”

A authorities spokesman stated: “We stay dedicated to phasing out all new non-zero emission automobile and van gross sales by 2035. Extra drivers than ever are selecting electrical, and November noticed one other month of elevated gross sales with EV’s accounting for one in 4 vehicles bought.”

Main carmakers, together with Volkswagen, Renault, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, have argued in favour of the EU dropping the ban. They warn that customers will not be taking on EVs within the numbers anticipated when the 2035 date was accredited in 2022.