Relaxing ZEV mandate rules could mean there ‘aren’t enough electric cars to go round’

A leading think tank has warned the government against relaxing ZEV mandate targets, arguing that it could significantly increase the cost of driving for millions of motorists.

Labour recently announced a consultation on changes to the mandate, which could even include suspending the regulations for two years, in order to help carmakers.

However, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) says that such a move would leave ‘leave millions of families worse off’.

The non-profit organisation also says that any delay would ‘stall investment in charging infrastructure and cost the UK hundreds of thousands of jobs’.

Research by the group found that around 2.7 million fewer used EVs would be available between this year and 2034 if the ZEV mandate was suspended for two years.

This would result in more people paying an additional £1,600 per year to run a petrol car than an EV, the analysis found.

Around four out of five UK car sales involve used vehicles, so the speed at which EVs reach the second-hand market is crucial to the switch to electric motoring, the ECIU said.

Researchers warned that easing the ZEV mandate rules will reduce competition between manufacturers, resulting in a rise in the price of new EVs and a slowing of sales.

ECIU head of transport Colin Walker said: ‘Families seeking to lower their driving bills by getting their hands on a cheap-to-run second-hand EV could be left stuck paying a £1,600 a year petrol premium simply because there aren’t enough electric cars to go round.

‘The ZEV mandate, introduced by the last government and continued by the current one, has been incredibly successful at driving competition up and prices down leading to hundreds of thousands of new EVs on UK roads.

‘The UK is Europe’s largest EV market, beating the likes of Germany at making the shift to cheaper and cleaner electric driving.

‘Parts of the car industry are pushing to slow the ZEV mandate, but doing so could not only leave millions of families worse off, but stall investment in charging infrastructure and cost the UK hundreds of thousands of jobs.’

The government recently announced that no ZEV mandate fines were dished out last year, despite several manufacturers failing to meet the 22% target.

The lack of fines was put down to ‘flexibilities’ in the regulations but with the target rising to 28% in 2025, there are concerns about how sustainable the rules are in their current form.

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