The Department for Transport has opened a consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate on 14 August 2026, asking manufacturers, suppliers, charge-point operators, dealers, consumers and communities to comment on the route to the 2030 and 2035 deadlines. The exercise, launched with the devolved governments, runs until 23 October 2026 and is framed as a review of the pathway rather than a reopening of the end dates themselves. That distinction matters. Ministers are not consulting on whether to abandon the 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars or the 2035 requirement for all new cars and vans to be zero emission. The live question is whether the annual sales trajectory for manufacturers still fits market conditions, industrial capacity and consumer demand.
The Department for Transport said the review is being opened against a stronger domestic EV market. July produced the strongest new car market since 2019, more than one in four new cars sold were electric, EV sales were 45% higher than in July 2025 and more than 2 million electric vehicles are now registered on UK roads. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the end goal had not changed but that targets should be kept under review so they remain practical for business. In policy terms, that places the consultation in a clear position: the direction of travel is fixed, but the compliance route is being tested for practicality.
Under the mandate, manufacturers face annual targets for zero-emission sales, with built-in flexibilities intended to support compliance. Government says firms are currently on track to meet their 2025 obligations, which reduces the case for immediate intervention but does not remove concern about the years ahead. The consultation asks whether those annual targets remain appropriate and whether the regime continues to support growth, respond to global market pressures and preserve consumer choice. It also brings forward a review that ministers had already promised by 2027, with government arguing that an earlier exercise gives industry faster certainty.
The timing reflects two pressures at once. On one side, demand is rising and the market is broadening. On the other, ministers point to supply chain disruption, tariff risks and wider trade uncertainty, all of which affect model allocation, factory planning and investment decisions. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds described the automotive sector as central to economic growth and said the consultation would test whether the mandate is still supporting investment, innovation and competitiveness. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, welcomed the review as a chance to adjust a framework designed in different market conditions.
For manufacturers and suppliers, the review matters because the annual trajectory influences product mix, discounting strategies, compliance planning and the location of future investment. Dealers and finance providers will also watch closely, as any change to the pathway could alter the balance between fleet and retail sales, the pace of new model launches and the pricing pressure needed to meet targets. Charge-point operators and local delivery bodies have a parallel interest. If the sales curve remains steep, infrastructure deployment will need to keep pace in urban areas, on strategic roads and in places where home charging is difficult. If the trajectory is adjusted, investors will want to understand whether that changes expected utilisation and the timing of network expansion.
Ministers are pairing the review with a continued affordability argument. The government said its Electric Car Grant, launched in July 2025, offers up to £3,750 off a new electric car and has supported more than 160,000 purchases. It also said drivers who switch can save up to £1,400 a year in running costs, while industry data suggests new EV models are moving closer to petrol and diesel prices. For policy design, that consumer case is important. The mandate can only remain durable if households see electric vehicles as practical purchases rather than a compliance exercise carried by manufacturers alone. That is why price, charging access and model availability sit alongside factory investment in this review.
The wider support package remains substantial. Government says it is investing £7.5 billion across market growth, manufacturing support, sales incentives and charging infrastructure, including £4 billion for DRIVE35 projects and £3.5 billion for van, truck and car grants, the Electric Car Grant and EV charging measures. On infrastructure, ministers said £600 million is being used to roll out more charge points, adding to the 120,000 already on the public network and more than 1 million in homes and workplaces. That comes on top of £400 million already allocated to deliver more than 100,000 additional public chargers. Grants of up to £500 for landlords, flat owners and renters are intended to reduce one of the more persistent barriers to home charging.
The immediate deadline is 23 October 2026, when the consultation closes. Between now and then, the government is asking industry, consumers and communities to submit evidence on whether the present pathway is fair, commercially workable and capable of keeping the UK on course for the 2030 and 2035 milestones. For now, the central policy signal is continuity at the top level and uncertainty in the annual route beneath it. The phase-out dates remain in place. What ministers are testing is whether the ZEV mandate, as currently calibrated, still offers the right balance between decarbonisation, industrial competitiveness, consumer choice and investor confidence.