What happened
As Kiran Stacey reported for the Guardian on Sunday 8 November 2026, ministers are expected to make steep cuts to the ZEV mandate this week. Citing government sources, the paper says Louise Haigh will settle the decision after a meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday, and will probably sign off a 2030 target of about 60% of new cars, with the mandate's flexibilities extended to 2034. The Prime Minister has stepped back from the decision, the paper reports.
That has not been confirmed. A government spokesperson told the Guardian: "The government is united in its commitment to the ZEV mandate and no decisions have been taken." The spokesperson added that the government remains committed to ending sales of new cars relying solely on petrol and diesel engines by 2030 and to all new cars and vans being zero emission by 2035.
The Department for Transport's consultation, which closed on 23 October, offered four 2030 options for cars: keep 80% with extra flexibilities to 2034, or cut to 70%, 60% or 50%. For vans the options run from 70% down to 40%. We covered the consultation in our post on the ZEV mandate review. The SMMT's figures of 5 November put battery electric cars at 26.6% of new car registrations so far in 2026, against a 33% target for this year (see our October registrations post).
What it means for your business
Nothing changes in what you report. The mandate is a rule for manufacturers. Company cars and vans you own or lease are still Scope 1 when they run on fuel and Scope 2 when they are electric and you charge them, on the government's factors for the year.
It may change the deals on offer. A lower 2030 target would take some pressure off manufacturers to push electric models, so if you are pricing new company cars or vans, it is worth checking quotes again once the decision is out.
The carbon gain from switching does not move. Take 10 company cars doing 12,000 miles a year each. As average diesel cars they produce 33.34 tonnes CO2e a year on the 2026 government factors. As average battery electric cars charged on the UK grid, 5.19 tonnes: about 84% less. That comes from the cars and the grid, not from the mandate.
What to do now
- If you are about to order vehicles, ask the dealer how long the quote stands and whether it could change after the decision.
- Record your fleet by fuel type, with litres from fuel cards where you have them and miles where you don't.
- Watch gov.uk for the government's response to the consultation. We will report it when it is published.
