Consultation: Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans

ClientEarth advocates for a legally binding 2030 deadline to end the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles in the UK, arguing that the government's proposed 2035 date is insufficient to tackle illegal air pollution and climate change. The response emphasizes that Zero Exhaust Emission Vehicles (ZEEVs) should be the only vehicles sold, excluding hybrids due to their failure to deliver promised environmental benefits. To achieve this, ClientEarth recommends a combination of supply-side mandates, CO2 performance standards, expanded charging infrastructure, and demand incentives such as VAT exemptions and a targeted diesel scrappage scheme. The document highlights the severe health impacts of NO2 and PM2.5 pollution, noting that road transport is a primary contributor to illegal pollution levels in UK cities.

• ClientEarth argues that the end date for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans should be moved to 2030 and established as a "legally binding commitment" to provide regulatory certainty and protect public health.
• The response asserts that hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles should be phased out because they do not provide the environmental benefits claimed by regulators or manufacturers, noting that real-world data shows many users do not charge plug-in hybrids sufficiently.
• Road transport is identified as the primary source of illegal nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in UK towns and cities, contributing up to 80% of the problem in affected areas, with cars accounting for 43% of road transport NOx emissions.
• To support a 2030 phase-out, ClientEarth calculates that the UK must deploy 4,000 charging connectors per month between 2020 and 2025 to accommodate a projected 26 million ZEEVs on the road by 2035.
• The document highlights that the UK is on track to miss its 2020 target for PM2.5 emissions by 11%, and its 2030 targets for NOx and PM2.5 emissions by 16% and 24% respectively, unless action is taken.
• ClientEarth recommends several demand-side incentives to reach cost-parity with internal combustion vehicles, including a time-limited VAT exemption, extending the 0% company car tax (BiK) rate, and reforming Vehicle Excise Duty.
• The response suggests that the UK government should repurpose £28bn of funding from RIS2 to accelerate the transition to cleaner vehicles and fund the proposed support measures.

APA

ClientEarth (2020). Consultation: Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kkmihesq/2020-07-31-consultation-ending-the-sale-of-new-petrol-diesel-and-hybrid-cars-and-vans-clientearth-response-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Consultation: Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kkmihesq/2020-07-31-consultation-ending-the-sale-of-new-petrol-diesel-and-hybrid-cars-and-vans-clientearth-response-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Consultation: Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans |date=July 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/kkmihesq/2020-07-31-consultation-ending-the-sale-of-new-petrol-diesel-and-hybrid-cars-and-vans-clientearth-response-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2020consultation, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Consultation: Ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/kkmihesq/2020-07-31-consultation-ending-the-sale-of-new-petrol-diesel-and-hybrid-cars-and-vans-clientearth-response-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }