Britain eases EV sales targets for carmakers

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday eased targets forcing carmakers in the country to produce more electric vehicles (EVs) in an effort to ease pressure on UK businesses from Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

The government announced the 2030 phase-out date for new petrol and diesel cars will not change, but under the new plan it will allow full hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles and cars — such as the Toyota Prius and Nissan e-Power — to be sold until 2035.

“Global trade is being transformed so we must go further and faster in reshaping our economy” Starmer said while unveiling the plans.

The measures announced will also exempt small micro-volume manufacturers including McLaren and Aston Martin from the mandate targets in an effort to save British supercars and advanced engineering.

Starmer said on Saturday the government’s priority remains to try to secure a trade deal with the US which could include tariff exemptions, but was ready to step in to help “shelter” the country’s businesses from the fallout from Trump’s new tariff policies.

British carmakers mainly sell luxury and premium cars to the US, which is their second largest export market after the EU. More than one million British-made cars were shipped to the US in 2024, worth about £7.6bn (R189.12bn).

While overall EV sales rose last year, they were driven by commercial buyers, with only one in 10 individual car buyers choosing to go electric.

EVs made up 19% of sales last month, well short of the 28% carmakers would have needed to achieve in 2025 according to the ZEV mandate.