The Department for Transport has launched a five-part review of the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes Order, the instrument behind the UK ZEV Mandate. It closes at 11:59pm on 23 October 2026, so roughly five weeks remain to respond. Nothing changes until the government responds, but the outcome sets the 2027 and later UK compliance position, and therefore UK product mix and allocation planning.
What Happened
On 14 August 2026 the Department for Transport published the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate Review, a consultation on the operation of the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (VETS) Order. It is framed as part of the government’s commitment to review the VETS Order by early 2027, with the stated aim of ensuring the policy remains effective in delivering the ZEV transition while supporting consumers, industry and wider UK decarbonisation objectives. Parts 1 to 4 are run jointly by the UK government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland; Part 5 policy is reserved to the UK Parliament. A consultation document of roughly 93 pages is attached.
What’s New
- Five parts: (1) the impact of the ZEV Mandate in the UK; (2) emerging issues; (3) policy options and areas for consultation; (4) the carbon impact of potential policy options; (5) options for defining the phase-out of new cars relying solely on internal combustion engines by 2030.
- Part 3 covers the current ZEV trajectory and yearly headline targets, and the effectiveness of the existing compliance flexibilities.
- Part 5 consults on how to define the 2030 phase-out — note the official framing is cars relying solely on internal combustion engines, which is narrower than an end of sale of petrol and diesel cars.
- The 2030 commitment is described as one the UK government made in April 2025.
- Devolution split: Parts 1 to 4 are joint with the three devolved administrations; Part 5 is reserved to the UK Parliament.
- This is the first formal government review of the ZEV Mandate’s annual percentage targets and flexibility mechanisms since the scheme began.
Key Dates & Timeline
UK government commitment on the 2030 phase-out
Consultation published and opens
Consultation closes
Government committed to complete the VETS Order review
Affected Industries
Light duty vehicles · Vans · Automotive importers and dealers · Fleet operators · Charge point operators
Who Is Affected
Manufacturers and importers subject to VETS Order annual ZEV percentage obligations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland; UK volume planning, allocation and pricing functions; fleets and consumers indirectly.
Standards / Products in Scope
New petrol, diesel, hybrid and battery-electric cars and vans sold in the UK, and the annual ZEV percentage obligations and compliance flexibilities under the VETS Order. No immediate compliance obligation arises from the consultation itself.
Prohibitions, Restrictions & Requirements
None at this stage. The consultation may lead to changes in the annual percentage trajectory, in the flexibility mechanisms, or in how the 2030 phase-out is defined.
What Companies Should Do
- Submit a response before 11:59pm on 23 October 2026, quantifying with real numbers how the current trajectory and flexibilities affect UK allocation, pricing and investment decisions. This is the one window in which the 2027 and later trajectory can still be influenced, and about five weeks of it remain.
- Read the 93-page consultation document rather than the landing page before responding; the specific questions on the trajectory and on individual flexibility mechanisms are in the document.
- Run UK volume planning against both the current trajectory and a relaxed scenario, so the commercial position is ready either way.
- If your interest is in the 2030 definition, note that Part 5 is reserved to the UK Parliament and is the only part not devolved — the audience for that argument is different.
A review is not a relaxation, and planning as though it were is the expensive mistake. The useful move is a response with real numbers attached, because the government has committed to conclude by early 2027 and the evidence base is being assembled now.
Reach out to our regulation experts on chemical and product regulatory compliances