ICE ban pushed back to 2035

Industry split as government rolls back on 2030 combustion-engine sales ban

- JAMES ATTWOOD

The government will push back the ban on the sale of new petrol- and diesel-engined cars by five years from 2030 to 2035.

The decision by prime minister Rishi Sunak rolls back a key policy introduced in 2020 by former PM Boris Johnson, and it has received a mixed response from the UK automotive industry. While some firms such as Toyota have welcomed the "pragmatic" flexibility it offers, others, including Ford, have said it could risk future investment in the British EV industry.

The ban on the sale of non-zero-emission cars was first announced in 2017, with plans to implement it in 2040. But that was then brought forward to 2030 by Johnson - with the caveat that some hybrid powertrains capable of "significant zero-emission running" would be allowed until 2035. There had been growing frustration that the government gave no clarity on what that would entail.

Announcing the delay to the implementation of the ban, Sunak said the government was working hard to make the UK a world leader in electric vehicles, adding: "We've already attracted billions of new investment.