Labour to soften 2030 petrol car ban by extending hybrid sales deadline

The new government is expected to row back on plans to introduce a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, according to reports.

Labour is planning to allow hybrid vehicles to be sold for an extra five years amid concerns over a slowdown in EV sales and pushback from some car manufacturers, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Hybrid models are powered by a traditional internal combustion engine used by their pure petrol counterparts alongside a battery.

The move from Labour comes despite a manifesto pledge to scrap sales of “new cars with internal combustion engines”.

The ability of car manufacturers to switch from petrol to electric has been questioned this year as take-up of new EVs slows. European countries are struggling to install enough of the necessary charging infrastructure required to quell customers so-called “range anxiety,” the fear an electric car won’t have the power to reach the next chargepoint.

There is also concern that private demand for EVs is slowing due to the high cost of making the switch, although this is contested within the sector.

Volvo in early September ditched plans to sell only EVs by 2030, with around 90 to 100 per cent of its total sales now expected to be either fully electric or plug-in hybrid. The likes of Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Volkswagen have also rowed back on initial plans to transition fleets to EVs.

Tory shadow transport secretary Helen Whately on Friday told The Telegraph that Labour either didn’t know what they were committing to during the election or have now realised it isn’t possible.

A government spokesman said: “This government’s policy has always been to revert to the original 2030 phase out date for the sale of new vehicles with pure internal combustion engines.

“The original phase out date included the provision for some hybrid vehicle sales between 2030 and 2035. We will set out further details on this in due course.”