Major car brand pledges to sell petrol and diesel cars 'for as long as we are allowed' despite EV switch

The ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles is still expected to take place in 2035, although the Government has outlined its support for a return to the original date of 2030.

This has been mired in uncertainty given the potential for the Government to allow the sale of hybrids until 2035, and the lack of a formal announcement from the new Labour administration.

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Speaking to PA, Philpott said the Seoul-based brand was "not abandoning non-EVs any time soon" and would continue to sell its petrol and diesel models.

He added: "Next year, 28 per cent of [of our cars] have to be EV – but that means 72 per cent aren’t EVs.

"So we’ve got to keep the likes of Sportage, Picanto, Stonic and Sorento all going. For as long as we are allowed to sell non-EVs, we’ll go on selling non-EVs”.

The Zero Emission Vehicle mandate outlines how brands need to have a minimum of 22 per cent of sales to come from electric cars by the end of the year.

These targets will continue to move over the coming years, reaching a target of 80 per cent by the end of the decade before finally having 100 per cent of sales come from zero emission vehicles in 2035.

Kia currently has five electric vehicles available for purchase in the UK including the EV3, EV6, EV6 GT, EV9 and the popular Niro EV. The brand also has four hybrid options for motorists.

Despite the impending switch to an electric future, Kia still has a number of vehicles with a petrol engine still available to the public, with just one purely diesel option.

So far this year, Kia has sold 100,936 vehicles in the UK, enough for an impressive 6.1 per cent market share. Sales are also 4.3 per cent higher than they were last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

It also makes Kia the fourth best-selling manufacturer behind other major players BMW, Audi and Volkswagen. The South Korean brand also outsold several staple brands like Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan.

Philpott lamented the lack of a decision from the Government about the future of the deadline to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, calling for a firm decision.

He said: "Even 2030 is not clear yet – and we’re asking the Government for clarity on what is the 2030/2035 strategy. You’ve got to determine it and tell us because then we can plan for it."

The full year sales for 2030 require brands to be at 80 per cent of ZEV-only, prompting Philpott to question: "But what's the other 20 per cent? What can they be?"

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In the year-to-date, the Kia Sportage is the second most registered vehicle, just 350 registrations behind the Ford Puma. However, the Sportage was the most popular vehicle in October with 1,000 more registrations than the Puma.

Philpott praised the Sportage and the demand for non-electric vehicles, alongside other petrol models like the Picanto, Sorento and Ceed.