The UK wants to get rid of petrol cars by 2030
The UK wants to get rid of petrol cars by 2030
Updated August 2026 with current grant amounts, prices and regulations.
In November 2020 the UK Government published its Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, bringing forward the end of new petrol and diesel car sales to 2030, and weeks later committed to cut UK emissions by at least 68% by 2030 against 1990 levels - the first major step towards net zero by 2050. The 2030 date has since survived a change of government: it was reconfirmed in April 2025 and is being delivered through the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
What is this first step about?
To put it short, from 2030 new cars powered purely by petrol or diesel will no longer be allowed for sale within the Kingdom. However, this does not affect cars that can travel some distance without emitting carbon. In other words, there is no 2030 ban on plug-in hybrids or full hybrids: you will still be able to buy a new hybrid until 2035.
Note the petrol/diesel vehicle ban applies only to brand-new vehicles. Used petrol and diesel cars and vans will still be on sale, and you can keep driving the one you already own. For the time being, at least.
The transition is already under way: under the ZEV mandate 33% of each manufacturer's new car sales must be zero-emission in 2026 (28% in 2025), rising to 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
Especially as EV charging infrastructure is already large and is continuously growing. And, of course, you can always buy our EV chargers both for domestic or commercial use, or browse our home charging stations.
It is not just the words
The UK Government does not just issue its ban decrees. It takes an active part in helping them come to life at minimal pitfalls:
- First, it supports the EV charging infrastructure roll-out with grants from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV, formerly OLEV): the EV chargepoint grant is worth £500 per socket from 1 April 2026 for renters, flat owners, residential landlords and households with on-street parking only (freehold houses with a driveway are not eligible), and the Workplace Charging Scheme pays £500 per socket, up to 40 sockets, until March 2027 - see our chargepoint grant guide and Workplace Charging Scheme guide;
- Second, it makes zero-emission cars cheaper to buy: the Electric Car Grant, launched in July 2025, takes up to £3,750 off a new EV priced up to £37,000, and businesses can claim 100% first-year capital allowances on charge point equipment;
- Third, it has set the rules so that charging keeps pace: every new home charge point must be a smart one, new homes must include charge points or ducting (Part S of the Building Regulations), and public rapid chargers must take contactless payment, show their prices and be 99% reliable.
What will be the next steps?
The next step will be getting rid of all new vehicles that pollute the environment with their CO2 emissions. To clarify, from 2035 plug-in hybrids and full hybrids will also be banned from sale as new, along with new petrol and diesel vans. From then on the Government will allow only fully zero-emission cars and vans to be sold new.
So, it seems it is high time to go green right now!