The government has confirmed that the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate will remain in place, after initial confusion following the prime minister's speech on 20 September 20231. Business secretary Kemi Badenoch was among the ministers who confirmed to BBC News that the mandate is unchanged1.
Under Rishi Sunak's "new approach", the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars has been delayed by five years, the 2035 phaseout of gas boiler sales has been loosened and landlords will not be obliged to insulate their rental properties to higher standards1. The zero emission vehicle mandate was due to require 22% of vehicles sold to be electric from January 2024, rising to 80% in 2030, with manufacturers facing fines of up to £15,000 a car for missing the target1. The Department of Transport is yet to respond to its ZEV consultation, which closed in May, and the mandate will still need to be voted on in the House of Commons before it comes into force1.
On heating, the ban on the sale of oil, liquid petroleum gas and new coal heating for off-gas-grid homes has been pushed back to 2035, from a previous date of 20261. The 2026 deadline had been set following a 2021 consultation1. Sunak said the change would ensure homeowners do not have to pay around £10,000 to £15,000 to upgrade their homes in three years' time1. The 2025 ban on fossil-fuel boilers in new homes and the wider 2035 ban remain in place, but there will now be exemptions for households expected to struggle most to switch, covering about a fifth of homes1. The grant for heat pumps will be increased to £7,5001.
Sunak also announced that he was scrapping planned regulations on minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties1. The petrol and diesel car ban delay and the other changes have drawn criticism: over 400 companies and civil society groups have signed an open letter opposing the rollback, and polling by More In Common in the week of the speech found that, by a 49-18 point margin, the public would prefer the government to do more rather than less to reach net-zero, while 41% said they are "less likely" to vote Conservative if the government does not stick to its climate commitments1.
"After some initial confusion, the government has now confirmed that the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate will remain in place."
Why it matters for households
The ZEV mandate governs what carmakers must sell, not what households may buy, so its survival leaves the direction of new car supply unchanged even as the ban on new petrol and diesel sales moves to 20351. For a household weighing a home charge point against future running costs, the mandate keeps a rising share of electric models in showrooms from 20241. The delay to the petrol and diesel ban, by contrast, extends the period in which new combustion cars can be sold1.
On home heating, the pushback of the off-gas-grid fossil fuel boiler ban to 2035 means rural households replacing an oil boiler are not required to install a low-carbon system on the earlier timetable1. The exemption for around a fifth of homes, and how it would work, remains very unclear1. The higher heat pump grant of £7,500 changes the upfront arithmetic for those considering a switch, though whether overall scheme funding rises was not specified1. Scrapping minimum energy efficiency standards for rented homes removes a planned obligation on landlords to insulate, which bears on the efficiency of the rented stock1.
What happens next
The ZEV mandate still needs a vote in the House of Commons before it comes into force, and the Department of Transport has not responded to its consultation1. The government remains committed to its clean heat market mechanism, set to require a rising share of heating sales to be zero-emissions from 20241. The Climate Change Committee has written to the government asking to see how it still expects to meet its targets in light of the changes1.