Experts have slammed potential plans to allow the sale of plug-in hybrid cars and other vehicles after the deadline to restrict sales of petrol and diesel from the end of the decade.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons at the start of the year that no new petrol or diesel cars would be sold after 2030.
She also confirmed that the Government would require all new cars and vans sold after 2035 to be zero emission.
This falls in line with the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which requires manufacturers to have at least 28 per cent of total sales come from electric cars by the end of the year.
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Experts have slammed potential plans that could see hybrid car sales allowed after 2030
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A consultation launched on Christmas Eve last year asked for the views of key industry players and manufacturers regarding the future of the ZEV mandate and how it should function in the lead-up to the ban of new petrol and diesel car sales.
It looks at what type of cars could be sold from 2030 onwards which are not fully zero emission, including hybrids.
Experts have warned that allowing the sale of plug-in hybrids, or even mild hybrids, would jeopardise the uptake of battery electric vehicles as drivers could choose non-EVs as their next vehicles.
Thom Groot, CEO of The Electric Car Scheme, said: "The question of whether or not the definition of a zero emissions vehicle should now include hybrids of various kinds for the purposes of hitting the ZEV target is frankly ridiculous.
"To even consider including plug-in and mild hybrids with the figures in order to make it easier to reach targets simply muddies the waters once again.
"After all the clue is in the name, a zero emission vehicle should have zero emissions at the tailpipe."
Part two of the ZEV mandate consultation asked for views on "flexibilities" in the ZEV mandate up to 2030, including technical updates to support the efficient running of the regulation.
Some experts had also warned that the "flexibilities" could act as loopholes for manufacturers to get around the terms of the mandate, which can see companies slapped with a £15,000 fine per polluting vehicle.
Certain British brands like Lister Motors warned that the ZEV mandate could hammer smaller-volume manufacturers who may be forced to scrap plans for future petrol and diesel models.
Groot added: "Changing the definition will add to consumer confusion, and lead to purchasing paralysis, or a reversion to petrol and diesel models in search of at least some surety and consistency.
"Good progress has been made over the past year in terms of the increasing uptake of fully electric vehicles and changing the definition yet again will only harm this, it must not happen."
The ZEV mandate consultation ended on February 18, with the Department for Transport now analysing the feedback. Many across the automotive sector will now be hoping that a decision will be made sooner rather than later.
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PATransport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "Since we launched the consultation in December, the Government has engaged closely with car manufacturers on how we can support them to deliver the transition to electric vehicles.
"Our consultation on the 2030 phase-out of new petrol and diesel cars has now closed and we will set out our response as soon as possible. We will carefully consider industry feedback as we develop our response, as part of our ongoing commitment to work in partnership with them to deliver this transition.
"2024 was a record year for EVs with sales up a fifth on the previous year and nearly 20,000 public chargers added to the network. We’re continuing to back the sector by investing over £2.3billion to help the sector and consumers make a supported switch to EVs, creating high-paid jobs, tapping into a multi-billion pound industry and making the UK a clean energy superpower to deliver our Plan for Change."
