DfT reopens 2030 combustion phase-out definition until October 2026

The Department for Transport has reopened the question fleets thought was settled: how the ZEV Mandate actually works, and what "2030" really means for new combustion cars. The consultation launched on 14 August runs until 23 October 2026, and for anyone building a procurement plan around fixed compliance dates, that window matters more than the small print.

This isn't a rogue policy wobble - government had already committed to reviewing the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes Order by early 2027, so the timing tracks. The consultation runs in five parts: the first four are joint work across the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments plus the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, covering how the trading scheme itself should operate. Part 5 is different - reserved to the UK Parliament alone - and it's the one that actually sets out options for defining the 2030 phase-out of cars running solely on internal combustion engines. That's the section worth reading twice before drafting any response.

Why this matters: Fleets running order cycles into 2027 and beyond are effectively procuring against a moving target until this closes. Anyone with a view on how "2030" should be defined, hybrids, flexibilities, credit trading, has a formal route to shape it before late October, and the outcome will bear directly on residual value assumptions for ICE stock ordered now.