Campaign group FairFuelUK has called on the government to scrap the 2030 ban on sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars, after the Department for Transport reaffirmed that the deadline remains in place alongside a 2035 cut-off for new hybrids.
The call follows a change of direction in Brussels. In December 2025 the European Commission proposed to soften its planned 2035 ban on new combustion-engined cars, replacing a 100 per cent zero-emission requirement with a 90 per cent tailpipe emissions reduction target.
Under the Commission’s draft, there is no absolute end date for new petrol and diesel cars in the EU. The remaining 10 per cent of emissions can be offset through measures including low-carbon steel and sustainable fuels, allowing some combustion-engined vehicles to stay on sale indefinitely.
The UK is taking a different path. The government confirmed in April 2025 that sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars will end in 2030, with new hybrids permitted until 2035.
FairFuelUK says analysis published on its website shows the 2030 ban will cost at least five times its claimed environmental benefits, and has asked why the UK has not followed the EU’s revised approach.
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