The government announced its planned review of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate and published a consultation on 14 August 2025, according to ChargeUK, the EV charging industry association1. The mandate is described by the association as the government's key EV policy, setting automakers' EV sales targets1.
ChargeUK said the mandate has underpinned the rollout of 120,000 public chargers to date and that it should be the foundation for a £385 billion economic opportunity from electrification by 20351. The association said its recently published report, "Powering a decade of growth: the economic impact of EV charging", is cited in the government's consultation and shows the industry is set to deliver £15.5 billion of economic value by 2035, enabling the wider £385 billion opportunity1.
Iain Coucher, Chair of ChargeUK, said any weakening of the mandate threatens billions in charging investment and the wider opportunity from electrification, and that the most extreme options in the consultation threaten to entirely upend the UK's reindustrialisation plans1.
"We welcome this planned review in which the government has committed to a full assessment of the EV transition, for automotive and charging industries, and for drivers."
ChargeUK also cited polling published that week showing that only a minority of the UK public back slowing the EV transition, and recent polling indicating that reducing public EV charging prices to below petrol could increase EV demand by nearly 50 per cent1. The consultation's specific options, and which of them the government favours, have not been reported in the material available.
Why it matters for households
The mandate sets the pace at which new petrol and diesel cars leave the market, which in turn shapes what is available to buy and when. For a household weighing a switch, the review introduces uncertainty over the timetable that applies to new car sales, though no change to the current rules has been announced1.
Charging costs sit at the centre of the industry's argument. ChargeUK's position is that policy costs are pushing up public charging prices, and it links lower public charging prices to higher EV demand1. For a household without off-street parking, the public charging price is the running cost that matters most, so any movement in that price changes the economics of running an EV against a petrol or diesel car.
The association frames the mandate as the foundation for charging investment in every postcode1. If investment slows, the practical effect for households would be in the availability and reliability of local public charging rather than in the price of a car itself. The consultation is listed under the site's regulation-policy coverage.
What happens next
The consultation is open and ChargeUK has responded to its publication1. The government has committed to a full assessment of the EV transition for the automotive and charging industries and for drivers, in ChargeUK's account of the announcement1. No closing date for the consultation, and no date for the outcome of the review, has been reported.
Sources1 cited
- ChargeUK responds to review of the ZEV mandate, chargeuk.org