Key points
- The ZEV mandate requires 33% of new cars sold in 2026 to be zero emission, rising to 80% in 2030.
- Sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars end in 2030. Hybrids can be sold until 2035.
- A review consultation closes on 23 October 2026. The government says the destination won't change.
- Over two million zero-emission cars were licensed in the UK by mid-2026.
- Pay-per-mile charging for EVs from April 2028 has been announced but isn't law yet.
What the ZEV mandate is
The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate sets the share of each carmaker's new car and van sales that must be zero emission each year. In practice, that mostly means battery electric. The share rises every year to 2030.
For a hotel, venue or car park owner, it's a useful forecast. It tells you roughly what share of new cars will be electric, and new cars become the used cars your visitors drive a few years later. You can test what that means for your own site in our revenue estimator.
The yearly targets
These are the targets as they stand, from the government's ZEV mandate review consultation (August 2026).
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars | 22% | 28% | 33% | 38% | 52% | 66% | 80% |
| Vans | 10% | 16% | 24% | 34% | 46% | 58% | 70% |
The steepest climb comes after 2027. The car target goes from 38% to 80% in three years.
Where sales are now
Battery electric sales have grown every year, though they've run below the headline target (SMMT figures for 2024 and 2025):
| Year | Battery electric share of new cars | ZEV target |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19.6% | 22% |
| 2025 | 23.4% | 28% |
| 2026, January to September | 26.2% | 33% |
September 2026 set a record. 99,201 battery electric cars were registered, a 28.3% share (SMMT). SMMT says about 265,000 more would be needed in the last quarter to reach 33% for the year.
Our UK EV sales growth guide tracks the figures month by month.
What's fixed for 2030 and 2035
Here's where things stand in October 2026:
- 2030: sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars end. This is a reaffirmed government commitment.
- 2030 to 2035: full and plug-in hybrids can still be sold new (gov.uk, April 2025).
- 2035: all new cars must be zero emission. The review document notes that the 2035 end date is not yet legislated.
None of this affects cars already on the road. Petrol, diesel and hybrid cars can still be driven and sold second-hand after these dates.
The 2026 review
The government opened a consultation on the mandate on 14 August 2026. It closes on 23 October 2026.
One option would cut the 2030 car target from 80% to 70%. The government's position is that "any amendments… will not change the destination". In other words, the timetable might shift, but the end point stays.
The consultation hasn't closed at the time of writing. Check the current targets before you rely on them.
What it means for your site
More EV drivers every year
At the end of June 2026 there were 2,017,000 licensed zero-emission cars in the UK, up 34.0% in a year. That's 5.8% of licensed cars (DfT).
That share will keep rising as each year's new cars enter the fleet. A charger installed in 2026 will spend its working life serving a growing number of drivers.
Why the fleet changes gradually
New cars are only a slice of what's on the road. In 2025, 2,020,520 new cars were registered (SMMT), against 34,888,140 licensed cars in mid-2026 (DfT). So each year's new cars equal roughly one in 17 of the cars on the road (derived).
So the mandate's effect on your car park builds up year by year. Every year's new EVs join the used market and stay on the road for years. The number of EV drivers arriving at your site keeps climbing even if new-car targets are softened.
The North East starts behind
The North East has 150.2 public chargers per 100,000 people, against a UK average of 174.9 (DfT). As more drivers switch, sites that already have chargers are better placed to pick up the demand.
Vans matter too
The van target rises from 24% in 2026 to 70% in 2030. Contractors, suppliers and delivery drivers will increasingly arrive in electric vans. For businesses running their own vans, our fleet depot page covers overnight charging.
Guests already expect it
In a survey of more than 1,000 UK EV drivers, 48% said they wouldn't stay at a hotel without onsite charging (Travolution, reporting SMS plc research). Our guide on why hotels need EV charging goes into the booking side.
Pay-per-mile for EVs
At Budget 2025, the government announced a new electric vehicle excise duty (eVED). It would charge 3p a mile for battery electric cars and 1.5p a mile for plug-in hybrids from April 2028, paid alongside vehicle tax (House of Commons Library).
A consultation response and draft legislation were published in July 2026, for the next Finance Bill. It isn't law yet.
For site owners, it changes what EVs cost to run. It doesn't change where drivers need to charge, and the mandate still sets how many EVs are sold. We don't know how it will affect demand, so we'd treat it as a factor to watch.
Planning for growth on your site
You don't need to install for 2030 demand on day one. A sensible approach is to start with what your site needs now and make it easy to add more later.
- Start with one dual pedestal. Two sockets serve two cars at once, which covers many hotels and venues to begin with.
- Lay spare ducting during groundworks. Groundworks are often a large part of the cost. Running spare ducts to future bays while the trench is open saves digging twice.
- Use load management. It lets more chargers share your existing supply, so a second pedestal may not mean a supply upgrade. Our load management guide explains how.
- Watch your usage. The back office shows how often both sockets are busy. When they regularly are, it's time to add more.
Timing your own decision
Allow for a typical 6–12 weeks from survey to switch-on, and longer if your supply needs a Northern Powergrid upgrade. Our installation cost guide explains what sets the pace.
If you plan to buy the chargers outright, the 100% first-year capital allowance on chargepoint equipment runs to 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax (HMRC). It is tax relief, so check with your accountant how it applies to you.
Next step
To see what rising EV numbers could mean in money terms, try the revenue estimator. If you're ready to look at your own site, book a free site survey.