Hybrid cars to remain on sale for five more years after 2030 petrol and diesel ban
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Some hybrid vehicles will be given a five-year stay of execution beyond the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, the Government has said, as it denied abandoning its manifesto pledge to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles.
As confirmed by This is Money last month, Labour will bring forward the deadline outlawing the sales of combustion-engine cars to the end of this decade.
However, it has now been confirmed there will be exemptions for some hybrid cars - which use a combination of a combustion engine, battery and electric motors - until 2035.
The decision is likely to upset green campaign groups, who describe
hybrids as the car industry's 'wolf in sheep's clothing' and called for them not to be excused from the ban.
(The Department for Transport has confirmed that some hybrid vehicles will be given a five-year stay of execution following the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars)
With three different types of hybrid car on sale currently, the big question now is which of these will continue to be available beyond 2030?
The Government has said it will go ahead with its manifesto plan to reinstate the 2030 ban on new cars that run solely on petrol and diesel after Rishi Sunak had opted to delay the deadline to 2035 last September amidst concerns that EV uptake had been slower than expected and motorists were unable to afford their premium prices.
In its manifesto, it had pledged to give 'certainty to manufacturers by restoring the phase-out date of 2030 for new cars with internal combustion engines'.
However, it now says that some hybrids will be exempt from the ban for a five-year period,
The government's decision comes in the wake of a number of major car brands announcing reduced EV production and delays to plans to shift to zero-emission models.
Last week, Fiat said it has paused manufacturing of its 500e electric city car for four weeks due to a lack of demand.
And Volvo within the last month has confirmed it has abandoned its intentions of becoming an electric-only car maker in 2030 due to a lower-than-expected appetite for EVs.
Other car makers have been lobbying to extend petrol sales as growth in demand for electric cars has slowed after a surge in recent years, which has forced them to slash prices and take a big hit on profits.
Ref: Hybrid cars to remain on sale for five more years after 2030 petrol and diesel ban (dailymail)
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