Petrol and diesel cars are expected to “disappear” from the roads after one date, according to experts. Specialists at PodPoint have claimed that internal combustion petrol and diesel models could slowly die out once a new sales ban comes into force at the end of the decade.
Labour is set to push ahead with plans to ban the sale of most brand new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 as more motorists transition to electric vehicles. Although second-hand cars can still be driven and sold after this date, experts predict that the number of diesel cars will slowly dwindle until they eventually die out.
PodPoint explained: “It’s expected that ICE cars [cars with an Internal Combustion Engine] will gradually disappear off the roads as the ban on their sales comes into effect from 2030, with hybrids following suit after 2035. However, drivers will still be able to buy a used ICE car, making them likely to remain a sight on UK roads for some time.”
There are understood to be around 11million diesel cars still on the road in the UK, but interest in the compound is already starting to die. Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed just 6,175 diesel models were sold at forecourts last year.
This number is down 12.5% on the 7,060 brand new models sold the year before, with diesel's market share dropping to just 4.2%. However, a new report from New Automotive suggests that there could be just 250,000 diesel cars left on the road in the next 10 years.
Last month, the European Union watered down its petrol and diesel car ban targets, telling manufacturers that only 90% of new cars sold by 2035 had to be zero-emission. The UK looks unlikely to follow suit, with officials admitting that the 2030 target had remained in place.
Previously, a Government spokesperson told Express.co.uk "We remain committed to phasing out all new non-zero emission car and van sales by 2035. More drivers than ever are choosing electric, and November saw another month of increased sales with EV’s accounting for one in four cars sold.
“We’re investing over £7.5 billion to support drivers and manufacturers make the switch to zero emission.”