Over half of UK used car dealers believe this year’s Zero Emission Vehicle mandate targets will be achieved, according to new research from Startline Motor Finance.
The January Used Car Tracker survey found that 57% of dealers expect the 2025 ZEV mandate requirements to be met. The government introduced the mandate in 2024 to accelerate electric vehicle adoption across the automotive industry.
ZEV Mandate Requirements Continue Rising
The mandate requires car manufacturers to sell a minimum percentage of zero-emission vehicles each year. The threshold started at 22% in 2024 and jumped to 28% for 2025.
Next year’s target increases again to 33%.
By 2030, the government wants 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans to produce zero emissions. All new vehicles must be zero-emission by 2035.
Manufacturers who miss their targets face £15,000 fines per vehicle or must purchase credits from competitors who exceeded their requirements.
Industry Split on Target Achievability
Despite the optimism about 2025, dealers remain divided on longer-term prospects. The survey of 303 consumers and 60 dealers revealed significant skepticism about future targets.
44% of respondents believe the government will need to revise the ZEV mandate targets soon.
Another 20% called the targets for the rest of the 2020s completely unachievable.
Startline estimates that manufacturers collectively missed the 2025 mandate by several percentage points – even with the Electric Car Grant scheme that launched last July.
“It’s clear the ZEV Mandate is an area where dealer opinion is very much divided, with 44% believing the targets are unattainable in their present form and will need to be revised and relaxed,” said Paul Burgess, CEO of Startline Motor Finance.
The government has already moved up its timeline for reviewing the mandate from 2027 to this year.
Calls for More Government Support
The research highlighted strong demand for additional government intervention in both new and used electric vehicle markets.
Over 70% of respondents want more government support for new electric car sales. An even higher 74% called for used EV market assistance.
This comes despite used electric vehicles leading the second-hand market as recently as December.
“The high level of support for used car market intervention revealed here is notable,” Burgess explained. “There is an argument that the functioning of the used market is the weakest area of the whole electrification process at the moment.”
The findings suggest that while dealers expect short-term compliance with ZEV targets, they’re concerned about the sustainability of current policies without additional government backing.
