EU to ban sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035
Electric cars get a massive boost as 27 European Union member states agree to force manufacturers from petrol/diesel
We won't be surprising anybody by saying that the future for the automotive industry is fully electric, but that future might just have been brought a big chunk closer thanks to news that's just come out of the European Union.
The EU's 27 member states have just voted to ban car manufacturers from selling new petrol and diesel cars from the year 2035. If the vote result is enshrined in law (as it looks set to be), all car brands will have to reduce their fleetwide emissions averages by 100% from 2035, with smaller steps phased in from 2025 and 2030. That's big news.
Sure, the EU isn't exactly going where nobody else is going - the UK is imposing the same rules from 2035. But when such a big region - it's the world's largest trading bloc, y'know - imposes a new rule like this, it's liable to have an enormous impact.
Expect the roll-out of new electric models to be ramped up even more in response, boosting the choice and diversity that's already pretty extensive in the EV world. Presently there's a huge number of electric cars being launched every year - all major brands offer EVs now - and electric car sales are growing rapidly. On that note...
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Between 1 January and 31 May of this year, new fully-electric car sales surpassed 92,500 in the UK, which means they now represent 14.1% of all new car sales in 2022 - according to official figures provided by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
The SMMT's stats also show that EV sales have rocketed up by 71.2% compared with the same period of 2021 - hence the enthusiasm of car makers to produce so many more new electric cars. With the EU's latest decision impacting the way car makers plan out their next few years, don't expect those numbers to fall anytime soon.
Handily, you won't have to wait for the EU - or even the UK - ban on new petrol and diesel car sales to kick in if you're after a battery-powered car. The range now is enormous, and nowhere is it greater than on cinch, because we have the biggest range of cars to buy entirely online.
We've everything from cute Renault Zoes to potent Porsche Taycans when it comes to EVs - and, of course, there are hybrids, as well as fuel-efficient petrol and diesel cars, if you're not ready to make the jump.
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