Will Petrol and Diesel Cars Be Banned by 2030?

Rishi Sunak has caused some concern about the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. It comes after he stated that any changes for the sake of the climate shouldn’t unfairly impact the public. He then failed to confirm whether the policy would go ahead as planned.

Michael Gove denied that the ban would impose excessive costs on the British public. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the policy is being maintained, despite some people wishing to change it. By 2030, Gove insists that no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold.

Some right-wing Conservatives believe the green policies should have a rethink. Under current proposals, all new cars sold by 2030 should be hybrid or purely electric. There will then be a five year period during which carmakers need to make their vehicles purely electric. Only new EVs can then be sold from 2035. The EU is also adopting the same approach.

The only possible exception is for manufacturers that make less than 1,000 cars a year. It’s believed that they would be granted a much slower time frame to transition to pure electric vehicles. The EU has permitted this, so it’s thought that the UK might follow suit.

Following Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to build a £4 billion battery factory in Somerset, Adrian Mardell, JLR’s CEO, says that no change in the policy would affect their decision to go ahead with the factory. He said that even if the dates were to change, events are already in motion as the 2030 date was set a few years back.

As the PM has said he’s on the side of motorists, some critics have questioned whether this is the case. The infrastructure for EV charging needs a massive overhaul and investment if the impact isn’t going to be felt by consumers. Not everyone will have access to private parking to charge their EV at home, which is why the public network needs to be expanded.

Not only this, but there is currently 20% VAT applied to public charging points, which are already much more expensive than using a home charger. For domestic energy supply, VAT is at 5%, so some believe that the government needs to be considerate about reviewing the rates of VAT if drivers aren’t going to be hit with unfair costs.

Additional criticism has come from Instavolt, whose CEO is in disbelief about Sunak’s ambivalent comments. Adrian Keen gave the following statement.

With all of the talk about no more petrol or diesel cars, it’s important to remember the here and now. If you’ve had a diesel car, you may be eligible to make a claim against the manufacturer for its emissions. A diesel emissions claim compensates you for an unfairly polluting vehicle.