Unfortunately the facts tell a different story. The Facts are that by 2030 there will be no ICE cars sold in the UK. The fact that EVERY year ICE sales are heavily taxed, and increasing as the countdown to 2030 approaches.
The standard VED rates for 2025/6 is now £195 regardless whether you have a zero emission car or a car with emissions producing over 255g/km. This does not account for the first year rate or cars that attract the luxury car tax from year 2 to 6, which now includes zero emission vehicles.
For ICE inc Hybrids, every litre of fuel purchased at the pump commands £0.53 fuel duty and 20% VAT. Come 2030 or whenever, the government will not say, well it was good whils’t it lasted the money pot will now shrink. They will look to applying similar duties to zero emission vehicles, in the same way, zero emission vehicles are now being charged VED at the standard rate and luxury car tax applies.
The initial date on the end of “new” ICE sales was 2030 across all of europe. The Tories then pushed the date back to 2035, after, it was confirmed mainland europe did so. Labour then came into power and moved the date forward to the orginal date of 203o. Although Labour will allow the sale of some new hybrids after 2030, this still puts the UK out of sync by 5 years with the mainland (EU) Regardless of what anyone thinks, this out of sync will pose a problem for the UK, as we import the majority of cars from the EU (the reason the Tories moved the date). Also EU manufacturers of pushing back transitioning to fully EV till closer to the end by date of 2035. Not only that, their has been talks going on for while in the EU, to push the date further back to 2040. Call me what you want, but the cynic in me, says Labour is playing the game to get people into zero emission vehicles, but as the clock approaches 2030, if still in power (doubtful), Labour will push back anf fall in line with the EU at the 11th hour.
Currently, as of the end of August 2025, there is approx 1,600,000 fully electric cars on UK roads., which rounds off to aroubd 4% market share, of which 3% sales are to lease and fleet companies. Thats a huge mountain to climb, to reach 34 million cars that are on our roads.
USED EV sales depreciation rates are much higher than equilulent ICE, which has also seen Motability impacted at 3yr lease end sell offs. Not only does this have a negative impact on AP’s, they are forced to follow government dreams, and by doing so Motability continue to subsidise EV’s.
Whether, it 2030, 2035 or 2040, ICE/Hybrid vehicles will continue to remain on or roads for many years after the ban on the sale of new ones. It goes without saying, that governments think us peasants are thick, yet we continue to find loop holes, to the laws they impose on us. Perhaps an on topic example of this is ULEZ, which has seen the continued uptake of Londoners buying older more polluting vehicles, that are exempt from the charges, simply because many can’t afford newer vehicles and will do what they can to avoid charges. This turns out to be a negative impact on what Khan first intended along with his money pot not, as full as firt thought. Even the City of London office, admitted Khans measures, will only extend a Londoners life by 15 minutes,whils’t at the same time making people poorer WOW! At the same time REE mining sees it’s surrounding villages and towns, buried in the waste, Cancer is ripe and the land and water polluted.