Jun 19, 2026 · 39 min · 10 segments
00:00:00 Introduction 00: 02:00 Is the UK scrapping its electric car sales targets? 00:09:10 How much does the new Skoda Epiq cost in the UK? 00:15:18 What's the difference between AC and DC EV…
Okay, so I'm going to share this screen here.
Let me just make myself smaller there so you can see it properly.
Okay.
Is the UK scrapping its electric car sales targets? Not scrapping, but significantly weakening them.
The government is reviewing the ZEV mandate, which currently requires 80% of new cars to be fully electric by 2030.
Reports suggest that figures could be cut to 50%, with hybrids picking up the difference.
Here's the direct answer.
The Prime Minister is stepping in personally on this one.
Keir Starmer is reportedly overruling his own Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, to relax the mandate after sustained pressure from carmakers and from the Unite Union.
So how does the mandate actually work now, right now? Every manufacturer has to hit a yearly target for zero emission sales.
This year it's 33%.
Miss it and the fine is £15,000 per car.
not per percentage point.
SMMT EV sales 2026.
The trouble is the market isn't quite keeping up.
SMMT, that's the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, reckons battery electric share will land around 26.8% this year, below the official target.
Manufacturers say they've spent over £10 billion on discounts just to get close.
Important detail here, though, the official 33 percent target isn't really the real target because because it's not the real target because of something called flexibilities.
Manufacturers can bank credits, borrow from future years, trade credits between each other.
Once you account for all of that, the actual effective target for this year works out closer to 24 and a half percent.
which means on the numbers we're already seeing the industry is broadly on pace anyway.
That's the case for relaxing it.
Mike Hawes at the SMT put it plainly.
Okay, so I'm going to share this screen here.
Let me just make myself smaller there so you can see it properly.
Okay.
Is the UK scrapping its electric car sales targets? Not scrapping, but significantly weakening them.
The government is reviewing the ZEV mandate, which currently requires 80% of new cars to be fully electric by 2030.
Reports suggest that figures could be cut to 50%, with hybrids picking up the difference.
Here's the direct answer.
The Prime Minister is stepping in personally on this one.
Keir Starmer is reportedly overruling his own Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, to relax the mandate after sustained pressure from carmakers and from the Unite Union.
So how does the mandate actually work now, right now? Every manufacturer has to hit a yearly target for zero emission sales.
This year it's 33%.
Miss it and the fine is £15,000 per car.
not per percentage point.
SMMT EV sales 2026.
The trouble is the market isn't quite keeping up.
SMMT, that's the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, reckons battery electric share will land around 26.8% this year, below the official target.
Manufacturers say they've spent over £10 billion on discounts just to get close.
Important detail here, though, the official 33 percent target isn't really the real target because because it's not the real target because of something called flexibilities.
Manufacturers can bank credits, borrow from future years, trade credits between each other.
Once you account for all of that, the actual effective target for this year works out closer to 24 and a half percent.
which means on the numbers we're already seeing the industry is broadly on pace anyway.
That's the case for relaxing it.
Mike Hawes at the SMT put it plainly.
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