For more than a century, the UK has relied on petrol and diesel to get around. Yet in the space of just a few short years, Britain’s transition towards zero-emission motoring has accelerated at an incredible pace.
Among major European markets, the UK has the highest share of new zero emission car registrations and is the continent’s second largest electric car market. It has led the way with demonstrator programmes to accelerate uptake of zero emission HGVs, secured high profile commitments for gigafactories to underpin battery supply, and built Europe’s largest zero emission bus market. Consumers and businesses alike benefit from a growing and diverse choice of zero emission vans, cars, trucks and buses, supported by sustained industry investment.
Yet as we move through 2026, it is increasingly clear that even this relentless pace is not enough. The transition to zero emission vehicles has been years in the making. Initial targets to end the sale of non-zero emission vehicles were conceived as far back as 2017, with the core regulatory framework largely finalised in 2021, at a moment when the UK’s EV market appeared poised for rapid acceleration.
What followed was a period of upheaval few could have foreseen.
An EV transition depends on the right economic, industrial and consumer conditions. Today, those conditions are significantly more challenging than anticipated just five years ago. The global pandemic cast a long shadow, with vehicle demand yet to fully recover. Supply chains were disrupted by acute shortages of critical components, slowing production and delivery. At the same time, a fundamental shift in the global geopolitical landscape has had profound consequences. The knock-on effects have reshaped global energy markets, driving up both the cost of production and the cost of living to levels that were previously inconceivable. A more protectionist global economy has also raised the cost of doing business.
Despite these headwinds, the industry remains committed to delivering the transition. The destination remains unchanged: net zero by 2050, and fully decarbonised car and van markets by 2035.
But when conditions change so fundamentally, it is both reasonable and necessary to ask whether the route originally planned still offers the best chance of success – one that delivers decarbonization without deindustrialisation and environmental progress without economic damage.
This report sets out the case for an urgent holistic review of the UK’s transition. It examines core assumptions that have proved overly optimistic and identifies the key areas that must be addressed to ensure the route ahead is credible, workable and sustainable.
The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate is a central part of that route, and a reality check is essential. But the success of this transition extends far beyond a single regulation. How do we decarbonise the more complex and diverse commercial vehicle sector? And does the UK risk placing itself at a competitive disadvantage by adhering to an increasingly unrealistic plan while other major economies reassess their own approaches?
These are difficult questions – but they are necessary.
The destination remains the same. How we get there is now more critical than ever. At this pivotal moment, the UK must assess whether the road ahead delivers for industry, for society and for the planet
