Car manufacturers, charging firms and EV sector stakeholders have issued a pre-Budget call to the Government to “hold course” on ZEV mandate targets.

Ahead of next week’s Autumn Budget, Electric Vehicles UK (EVUK) – a coalition from across the EV industry – warned of lobbying for the EV sales targets to be weakened and urged the Government not to “dilute the effectiveness” of its flagship ZEV mandate.

The EVUK group includes car manufacturers such as Polestar, Volvo, Tesla, Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Changan, as well as energy providers, charging, finance and insurance companies like Octopus and Ovo. All members are working together to drive demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) through consumer advocacy, information campaigns and enabling EV experiences through test-drive events across the UK.

The coalition said changes to the ZEV mandate earlier this year are already estimated to have lost up to two million battery EV sales by 2030 – and called on the Government to stand firm against pre-Budget lobbying for the UK EV sales targets to be weakened for a second time in 2025.

Members also warned that other potential Budget policy measures risk undermining business certainty and economic opportunity, despite growing evidence of rising demand for BEVs.

EVUK said the UK is on the cusp of being a zero emissions vehicle leader. New battery EVs (BEVs) now regularly account for more than 25% of all UK car sales, while used car sales are showing strong BEV trends, and regular driver surveys reveal that more than nine in 10 EV drivers will never revert to combustion vehicles.

But it also warned that government policies must support, rather than impede, the progress made to date.

Dan Caesar, founder of Electric Vehicles UK, said “Tweaks to the ZEV Mandate earlier this year, have already been estimated to have cost up to two million battery EV sales (out of six million) by 2030, and the damage done to the embryonic EV sector has been substantial.

“To further dilute the targets, when industry as a whole is on track to meet them, and only because one or two legacy manufacturers have not heeded the inevitability of electrification, could be catastrophic for the industry, its adjacent sectors, and for the UK’s economic growth. Data shows ‘electrification’ is a global megatrend that the UK must take advantage of  ahead of a generationally consequential general election in a few years’ time.”

The calls are backed by prominent electric car makers.

Matt Galvin, managing director at Polestar UK, said: “The ZEV mandate is a strong framework, which gives certainty and guidance to manufacturers to meet the 2030/35 deadline. Car companies have long product planning lifecycles and now is not the time to change the mandate, to which manufacturers have been planning for many years.

“Whilst weakening the framework is tempting due to mounting pressure from ICE manufacturers, a change in direction will be confusing to consumers who are now ready to seriously consider the switch, and potentially terminal to reaching the deadline.

“Most importantly, we now have the practical technology to remove tailpipe emissions on our roads, ultimately saving lives… With so much investment already committed to EVs by vehicle manufacturers and charging operators, and with strong adoption now gaining momentum, holding our course now will deliver on our vital climate goals.”

Nic Thomas, UK managing director at Changan, also backed the call.

“Reinforcing the ZEV mandate isn’t just about regulation; it’s a statement of intent about the kind of future we want to move towards, and it’s about making it easier for people to go electric. With more than 1.5 million fully electric vehicles already on UK roads, it’s clear that consumers are increasingly interested in EVs and are ready to make the switch to electric.

“But for adoption to continue they need it to feel easy, affordable, and accessible. We encourage continued investment in charging networks, especially destination and urban charging, to add further consumer confidence in the transition to EV.”