Britain expected to cut 2030 EV sales target to 60%, Guardian says

Nov 8 (Reuters) - The British government is expected to cut its electric vehicle sales target for 2030 by about a quarter to around 60%, the Guardian said on Sunday, citing government sources.

The 2024 mandate requires carmakers to ensure zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) contribute a rising share of annual sales, with the 2026 target of 33%, rising to 80% in 2030 and 100% by 2035.

Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, is expected to finalise the plan after a meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday, the newspaper said.

Haigh will probably approve a 2030 target of about 60% and extend flexibility until 2034, it added.

"The government is united in its commitment to the ZEV mandate, and no decisions have been taken," a government spokesperson told Reuters, reaffirming commitment to the 2030 phase-out of all new cars with only petrol and diesel engines.

The mandate consultation would not alter the zero-emissions target for all new car and van sales by 2035, the spokesperson added.

Options set out in August by Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government could ease pressure on carmakers to switch new sales to zero-emission vehicles, with existing targets under review.

Carmakers say supply chain disruptions and poor consumer demand make it tough to comply with the mandate.

Battery-electric vehicles made up 26.6% of new car sales year to date, off the 33% target for 2026, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said last week, urging "substantive" target changes to pull them closer to demand.

(Reporting by Sumedha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Nia Williams and Clarence Fernandez)