The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate sets the share of new cars and vans that makers must sell as zero emission. Under the current rules, 80% of new cars sold in 2030 must be zero emission. From 2035, all new cars and vans must be zero emission.
The consultation
The government is consulting on changes to the mandate. The Independent reports that the options include a lower 2030 target of 70%, 60% or 50%. Another option keeps the 80% target but gives makers more flexibility in how they meet it. The 2035 date does not change.
What business leaders said
In a report by Steve Fowler for The Independent, leaders from the electric vehicle and charging sectors asked the government to keep the mandate as it is.
Gurjeet Grewal, chief executive of Octopus Electric Vehicles, said that the mandate "gives manufacturers confidence to invest and drivers confidence to switch".
Robin Heap, chief executive of the charging company Zest, warned of a "chicken-and-egg problem". In his view, people will not switch without convenient charging. And the charging sector will not invest at scale without confidence in future demand.
Tanya Sinclair, chief executive of Electric Vehicles UK, called electric vehicles the most powerful public health and climate intervention available.
The figures in the report
The report gives £41 billion of private sector investment in the UK since 2020.
It gives £6 billion of investment committed to charging infrastructure.
The public charging network has doubled to more than 120,000 charge points.
Carbon Brief estimates that weaker targets could cost drivers £3 billion a year more in petrol by 2030.
Why the mandate matters to a charge point operator
A charge point operator plans its hubs years before the demand arrives. The mandate is the clearest signal of how many electric cars and vans will need to charge, and when.
Onward's market figures use the mandate as it stands. On that basis, Onward projects 34.5 million electric cars on UK roads by 2045. A lower 2030 target would require fewer zero emission sales in 2030. See the market data.
Fleet operators who plan their switch to electric can talk to the Onward team.
Source
The Independent, 'Don't mess with the ZEV Mandate,' warn UK business leaders, Steve Fowler, 15 September 2026.
