Your questions answered
Q What’s happening to petrol and diesel cars?
A PETROL and diesel have been the standard choice of car fuel for as long as any of us can remember. Sometimes – particularly in recent years – prices have skyrocketed or supplies have run dry, but on the whole it’s been easy to stop at a petrol station when required, top up your tank and be on your way in a matter of minutes.
For reasons we needn’t go into, however, fossil fuels are being phased out and the harmful pollutants from petrol and diesel models need consigning to the history books. That’s why car manufacturers – who are being pushed by legislation and enforcement from all levels of Government – are moving to new forms of propulsion, particularly electric motors.
Some brands are making this transition more quickly than others, while a few of them are diverting resources into possible alternatives to battery-electric technology, such as hydrogen fuel cells or sustainable e-fuels.
No plans have been announced in the UK for petrol and diesel models to be banned from the road, but the rise of clean-air zones – such as London’s increasingly harsh Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – and deadlines for bans on the sale of certain types of car mean they’re inevitably going to become rarer and rarer.
Q What changes are coming and when?
A THE UK Government has set a deadline of 2030 for the sale of new conventional petrol and diesel cars to be banned. Ministers have said that some new hybrid models that are capable of running in a zero-emission mode may be allowed to remain on sale until 2035, however no further detail has yet been offered on what the specific criteria will be.
In the EU, meanwhile, the debate is still ongoing. A similar 2030 deadline is being considered, but Germany is demanding that exemptions be made for ICE cars that run on e-fuels. Although the UK has left the EU, the final decision the bloc comes to will inevitably have an impact on what car manufacturers decide to do.
Another factor that comes into play in the UK is the advent of clean-air zones. The most notable is London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, which requires owners of pre-Euro 4 petrol and pre-Euro 6 diesel cars to pay a daily charge of £12.50 to drive in the capital.
ULEZ currently covers a large area of London within the North and South Circular roads. It’s due to expand across the entire Greater London Authority area on 29 August 2023, but this move is being met with fierce resistance from national and local politicians, campaigners and the public.
Q What should I do?
A IT’S a tricky time for consumers to make decisions about their car ownership situation. Not only are there the aforementioned changes to what cars are going to be available to buy new in the coming years, but other factors – including the cost of living crisis, supply-chain issues and inflated prices – also come into play.
Making the leap to an electric car will certainly make sense for some drivers. If you can afford to pay the premium and don’t travel longer distances on a regular basis, then there is a great range of highly desirable options for you to choose from. Beneficial Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax rates haven’t been snuffed out quite yet, and the same goes for exemption to the London congestion charge – although these things will change in 2025.
Buying a new petrol or diesel car while you still have the chance to do so will appeal to many. And if you fit into this category, the pages that follow should help you on that journey. A brand-new ICE car will cost less than its electric equivalent, plus you won’t have to worry about the charging infrastructure, as you would with an electric vehicle, or clean-air zones as you might with an older car.
Of course, many of us don’t have the budget for a new car. It might be that you want to keep your old one going, but are worried about being affected by a clean-air zone. If so, the second-hand market is an option. Prices are still inflated, but follow the advice in our used-car buying pages and at and we’ll help you get a good deal.