UK Government reportedly preparing fresh ZEV mandate consultation

EV Fleet World reported on 11 August that a formal Department for Transport consultation is expected, with options under discussion including changes to annual targets and additional flexibilities for manufacturers. At the time of writing, EVCP Info has not located a new DfT consultation document setting out those proposals.

Three separate policies are being discussed

Much of the current reporting combines three related but different policy questions. The first is the 2030 phase-out of new cars powered solely by petrol or diesel. The second is the annual ZEV mandate, which currently requires 33% of a manufacturer’s new-car registrations to be zero emission in 2026 and rises to 80% in 2030. The third is the treatment of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles between 2030 and 2035.

The current regulations still contain the 80% car target for 2030. A reduction to 50% has been reported as one option under discussion, but it should not be presented as government policy unless and until a formal consultation or regulatory proposal confirms it.

The review matters to charging investment

For charging infrastructure, the mandate is relevant because it influences expectations for the size and growth rate of the electric vehicle parc. CPO investment models, fleet-conversion plans, local authority forecasts and utilisation assumptions all depend partly on how quickly new zero-emission vehicles enter service.

A slower BEV trajectory would not automatically remove the need for charging investment. It could change where demand appears and how quickly utilisation grows, particularly if plug-in hybrids account for a larger share of new registrations.

PHEV charging is becoming part of the policy debate

The Times has reported DfT research indicating that 21% of UK PHEV drivers do not have access to home charging. The same reporting cites European evidence showing a large gap between official and real-world PHEV emissions where vehicles are not charged and driven electrically as often as test assumptions expect.

That makes charging access relevant to any policy that relies more heavily on PHEVs. A plug-in hybrid can only deliver substantial electric mileage if it is plugged in regularly, so registration numbers alone do not show how much driving is actually being shifted from petrol to electricity.

Formal government position has not yet changed

Evidence previously submitted by DfT to Parliament said preparations for a ZEV mandate review would begin in 2026, with publication no later than early 2027. It also stated that the government remained committed to the existing targets at that point.

Until the new consultation is published, the most useful conclusion for the charging sector is that policy uncertainty has increased, not that a new 2030 target has already been decided. The detail of any consultation will matter more than the headline speculation around a single percentage.