UPDATE: The below was posted on April 1st – and is very much an April Fools joke! The UK will still be banning petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030, but used models will still be eligible for sale.
ORIGINAL PIECE: No new or used petrol or diesel cars will be sold in the UK from next year, under plans drawn up by the government to ensure 100% EV ownership from 2025.
From 1st April 2023, it will be against the law to advertise or enter into a transaction that sees the transfer of an internal-combustion engine vehicle between two parties. Those looking to get rid of their vehicle will instead need to apply for a ‘scrapping warrant,’ with the car collected and a price paid by registered vehicle recyclers.
“The previous ban on new-vehicle petrol and diesel was not going to be enough to lower air pollution,” said Department of Transport junior minister Ali Frolop. “The UK has some of the highest levels of air pollution in Europe, and the country is facing large non-compliance fines if we do not get it under control. The only way to do this is to ensure all passenger cars on UK roads run on electricity by 2025.”
Details of the grants have yet to be announced, but are likely to be driven by residual value data of the vehicle being scrapped, rather than the amount required to purchase a new or used electric vehicle. This could lead to drivers being left out of pocket, and therefore likely to hang onto their older vehicle for longer.
However, this does also create a risk. The older a vehicle, the less reliable it becomes. Some could be forced into sending their car for scrap should it fail, with repairs costing more than the worth of the vehicle itself.
The insurance sector may also be affected, as vehicle write-offs could mean drivers get nothing from government grants.
For independent garages, this also means an increased level of EV work could begin as early as April next year. Training on electric vehicle maintenance is already lacking in the industry, however it should now be a priority for all garages in the country.
The monitoring of vehicle transactions will be carried out by a new branch of the DVLA, established to ensure that vehicle logbooks with ownership changes are not featuring a petrol or diesel model.
