Tradesmen React to Relaxed Electric Vehicle Regulations
In a development welcomed by UK tradesmen, the government has eased the rules governing the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel vans. GB News visited a Cheshire industrial estate where local tradespeople expressed their relief at not having to change their vans immediately.
One tradesman stated, “It’s a big weight off our shoulders. We can carry on just working and don’t need to worry about it. It’s a big expense looking for a new van, so we’re happy that we can keep using the same one and focus on earning money.” He added, “We’ve got enough to worry about as self-employed people, you don’t want that extra pressure of having to buy an electric vehicle.”
A second tradesman echoed this sentiment, saying, “It’s a big expense if we had to fork out the money for a new van, so it’s nice to keep on using this one. We use the van every single day and money is needed for materials etc, so it’s really important that we don’t have to use it on something else.”
A third tradesman, who managed a fleet of vans, concluded, “That I don’t have to buy a whole new fleet of vehicles; that’s the biggest thing to take away from it. To take all of our vehicles and change them to electric wouldn’t be suitable for our business at all.”
The government’s announcement comes as it faces pressure from the UK car industry, which is dealing with new US trade tariffs. The changes will give manufacturers more flexibility in meeting annual electric vehicle sales targets and reduce fines for non-compliance.
Under the new rules, manufacturers will have greater freedom to meet yearly targets. If companies don’t sell enough electric vehicles in one year, they can compensate by selling more the following year. The fine for each vehicle sold that doesn’t meet the latest emissions standards will drop from £15,000 to £12,000.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, stating that the government has worked with UK car manufacturers to “strengthen its commitment to the phase out” while introducing “practical reforms to support industry meet this ambition.”
