Drivers hope for Labour U-turn on key pledge as Brits share biggest barriers

The majority of British drivers believe Labour and Sir Keir Starmer will U-turn on their pledge to ban petrol and diesel cars before the end of the decade, a new study suggested. A new poll from new and used car marketplace AutoTrader found that 80% of UK drivers do not believe officials will ban combustion models as planned.

AutoTrader’s latest Road to 2030 Report found that this uncertainty may be having a knock-on effect on demand for electric vehicles. The survey found that the share of new car enquiries for EVs remains at 18% so far this year. On the current trajectory, electric vehicles will only enjoy a 45% market share by 2030.

Ian Plummer, Commercial Director of AutoTrader said: “There is genuine concern that 80% of consumers doubt the Government can meet its 2030 goal of banning new petrol and diesel vehicle sales.”

The survey was put together by a nationally representative Find Out Now survey of 2000+ people.

In January, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stressed that “no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold after 2030.”

She reiterated that “all new cars and vans will need to be 100% zero emission by 2035” after exceptions for some hybrid models expire.

Labour even stressed that the Conservatives caused “significant harm to the industry” after they had promised to push back the phase-out dates from 2030 to 2035.

A previous study from YouGov found that banning petrol and diesel vehicles was loosely supported.

A total of 49% of those polled said they strongly or somewhat supported banning the sale of models, compared to 32% who were against.

AutoTrader’s latest survey suggested that affordability could still be the biggest barrier to adoption with pricing still a concern for 52% of UK drivers.

The latest research found that 78% of car buyers intend to spend less than £20,000 on their next car with just 7.6% planning to spend £30,000 or more.

However, according to AutoTrader, there are now just 33 new EVs for sale which are priced at £30,000 and under.

Ian added: “While the availability of affordable new and used EVs is increasing, and the £1.4 billion recently committed by the Government to support the transition is promising, it may take time for these improvements to reach and reassure the wider public.”