EU bans sales of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035

The European Parliament has passed legislation that will effectively ban the sale of new internal combustion engine cars – including petrol, diesel and hybrid models – in the European Union from 2035.

The move comes to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles and fight climate change.

Members voted 340 in favor, 279 against and 21 abstentions for a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions from new cars sold in the EU by 2035.

There will also be stricter interim targets for emissions from cars sold in the EU by the deadline, including a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2021 to 2030, much higher than the existing 37.5% target.

Curtain up for the internal combustion engine in Europe: The European Parliament has formally approved a law that will ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars in the European Union from 2035

The UK government has already outlined its own plans to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, with some hybrids allowed to stay on showrooms for another five years.

However, only hybrids that can “travel a significant distance without emitting carbon” will remain on the market until 2035, and ministers have yet to clarify what constitutes a “significant distance”.

Under the new EU directive, small series manufacturers will be exempted from the stricter CO2 emission targets.

Only brands that produce between 1,000 and 10,000 new cars per year will be exempt from the CO2 targets by the end of 2035.

These include UK firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren, which produce around 6,200 and 2,100 units per year based on 2021 volumes. Bentley, which produced 15,639 cars last year, would not qualify for the emissions target waivers.

Manufacturers who register less than 1,000 new vehicles per year are exempted from the regulations indefinitely.

While a selection of small UK ’boutique’ carmakers produce in appropriately limited numbers to qualify for this exemption, most do not build their own engines, instead sourcing engines from mainstream brands that they will no longer make.

In Europe, bespoke brands like Pagani and Koenigsegg – which only sell multi-million pound hypercars – will likely be able to continue producing internal combustion engine models.

EU countries have yet to formally approve the rules in the Council of the European Union before they can come into force, with final approval expected next month.

The UK government has already outlined its own plans to end sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, with some hybrids allowed to remain on showrooms for another five years

Jan Huitema, the EU Parliament’s chief negotiator for the law, said: “This regulation encourages the production of zero- and low-emission vehicles.

“It includes an ambitious revision of 2030 targets and a zero-emissions target for 2035, which is key to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

“These goals create clarity for the automotive industry and stimulate innovation and investment for car manufacturers.

“Buying and driving zero-emission cars will be cheaper for consumers and a used car market will emerge faster. It makes sustainable driving accessible to everyone.”

Various automakers have already committed to phasing out models with internal combustion engines by 2030.

Ford, which has announced it will cut 2,300 jobs across Europe – including 1,300 in the UK – as part of its plan to focus on a smaller range of electric cars, has committed to only selling plug-in hybrid and hybrid cars from 2026 to produce all-electric vehicles, 100 percent battery models by 2030.

The Stellantis Group, the parent company of Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall and other brands, has announced its intention, as has Volvo, to sell only electric vehicles in Europe by the end of the decade.

Jaguar will be one of the first established mainstream brands to ditch petrol and diesel engines entirely when it becomes an “all-electric luxury brand” from 2025.

Last week, green think tank Transport & Environment released the results of testing plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) that showed the latest models can emit up to three times their “official” CO2 emissions when driving on the road.

It called for all PHEVs to be banned from sale in the UK alongside traditional petrol and diesel cars by 2030.