A coalition of 30 climate, transport and health organisations, including The Climate Coalition, WWF-UK, Greenpeace UK and Friends of the Earth, has warned the UK Government not to weaken the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate as part of the current ZEV mandate consultation. In a joint statement issued on 22 October 2026, the groups said they were “profoundly disappointed” by the plans and described any weakening as an act of “economic self-harm”.
The UK and devolved governments are consulting on options to lower the annual percentage of new cars and vans that must be zero-emission in the years before the final deadline.
What the ZEV mandate consultation proposes
The ZEV mandate, officially the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (VETS) Order, is a four-nations policy. It requires car and van manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of zero-emission vehicles each year.
The mandate currently sets a target of 80% zero-emission sales for cars and 70% for vans by 2030. The consultation includes several options, among them reducing the 2030 target for electric cars to as low as 50%. The Government has stressed that all new car and van sales must be zero-emission by 2035 regardless of the outcome.
Climate Global News has previously reported on industry leaders defending the ZEV mandate amid the UK EV transition debate.
A coalition across climate, health and transport
The signatories include three umbrella networks. The Climate Coalition has 127 members with a collective membership of 20 million people. Stop Climate Chaos Scotland has 71 members, including the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and RSPB Scotland.
Climate Cymru has 200 members, including the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Save the Children Wales and the British Heart Foundation Cymru. Other signatories include E3G, Ember, Green Alliance, Campaign for Better Transport, Cycling UK, T&E UK, Mums for Lungs, the National Pensioners Convention and the charging company Voltempo.
Helen Meech, Executive Director of The Climate Coalition, said: “This summer’s scorching temperatures prove that climate change is here, and we are unprepared for it. The cost of living crisis, caused by rampant fossil fuel prices, proves we need to get off petrol and diesel as quickly as possible to help hard-up households across the UK. Electric cars and vans help us combat both problems. Weakening the ZEV mandate would be a step backward when we desperately need to move forward.”
Energy security and household costs
The statement describes the mandate as “Britain’s biggest carbon-reduction policy of this decade” and accuses the Government of “bowing to automotive lobbying”. It also states that there are over ten times as many electric cars available to buy now as there were a decade ago.
Government energy statistics show that 55% of the diesel burnt in the UK in 2025 was imported, although the country is a net exporter of petrol. Analysis by Ember estimates that EVs have saved the UK £600 million ($790 million) in displaced fuel costs since the Iran war started.
Separate analysis by the ECIU suggests that weakening the mandate to the lowest proposed level would cost families an additional £24 billion by 2050.
Ed Matthew, UK Director of E3G, said: “Electric cars and vans cost dramatically less to drive than combustion cars, whilst also severing our dependence on volatile foreign oil. Diluting the ZEV mandate would lock drivers into expensive fossil fuels for longer, which is madness in a cost-of-living crisis. Staying the course is the only sensible choice for household budgets, the long-term future of British manufacturing, and national energy independence”
Air pollution and investor confidence
Fraser Sutherland, coalition manager for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, said: “Taking diesel and petrol traffic off our roads offers a swift and effective way to simultaneously slash air pollution and climate-heating greenhouse gas emissions, while also reducing exposure to volatile international fuel prices. The Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate is a key lever to drive that change.”
The coalition said that watering down the mandate risks slowing billions of pounds in investment, including in industries such as lithium mining and refining. Simon Smith, CEO of Voltempo, said: “The ZEV mandate is the signal investors look for. It tells the companies building Britain’s charging infrastructure, including the depots that will power the next generation of electric trucks, that the market is coming and the Government is serious about it. Weakening it now would undermine that confidence at exactly the moment we need to be scaling up. Clean road transport depends on long-term certainty, and the mandate provides it.”
The joint statement ends by urging ministers to “keep the mandate as is”.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ZEV mandate?
The ZEV mandate, officially the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (VETS) Order, is a four-nations UK policy requiring car and van manufacturers to sell an increasing proportion of zero-emission vehicles each year.
What are the current ZEV mandate targets for 2030?
The mandate currently sets a target of 80% zero-emission sales for cars and 70% for vans by 2030. The consultation includes options to reduce the car target to as low as 50% in 2030.
Will the 2035 deadline for zero-emission car sales change?
The Government has stressed that all new car and van sales must be zero-emission by 2035.
Who has signed the joint statement on the ZEV mandate?
The 30 signatories include WWF-UK, Greenpeace UK, Friends of the Earth, The Climate Coalition, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, Climate Cymru, E3G, Ember, Green Alliance, Cycling UK and Voltempo.
How much could weakening the ZEV mandate cost households?
Analysis from ECIU cited by the coalition suggests that weakening the mandate to the lowest proposed level would cost families an additional £24 billion by 2050.
