New pure diesel and petrol van sales will be allowed to continue in the UK until 2035, the government has announced.
The policy separates vans from the new car market, for which the banning of new ICE models from 2030 has been reconfirmed.
Although the 2030 car date is a longstanding policy, the Labour government’s position regarding vans had not been confirmed until now.
The announcement has come alongside new flexibilities for the ZEV mandate, which requires manufacturers to meet rising annual targets for zero-emission vehicle sales.
Although the headline figures have not changed, new flexibilities include manufacturers being able to exchange van and car credits, with one car credit exchangeable for 0.4 van credits, and one van credit exchangeable for two car credits.
The government has also extended an existing flexibility allowing manufacturers to earn credits for cleaning up their non-ZEV fleet compared with a 2021 baseline. This had been due to end in 2026 but will now continue until 2029.
Another extended flexibility allows manufacturers to ‘borrow’ credits from the future if they don’t meet the mandate target in a particular year.
The level of the fines for non-compliance has also been reduced, from £18,000 to £15,000 for vans, and from £15,000 to £12,000 for cars.
