Recommendation 15

We pointed out that the ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 is likely to have an impact on both the type of vehicles and volume of fuel purchased well before then.27 Under the lead of the Department for Transport, the government is using a range of levers to incentivise consumers to move to electric vehicles now. The levers include: the plug-in car grant scheme; support for home, destination and on route charging; lower rates of Vehicle Excise Duty and Company Car Tax for cleaner vehicles; and raising consumer awareness. The cross-government Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, which ultimately reports to the Secretary of State for Transport, spent a total of £1.1 billion between April 2010 and March 2020 on funding the plug-in car grant, charging infrastructure schemes and other schemes. The government’s intention to stop the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 will require a rapid growth in the number of zero-emission cars over the next decade.28