Purpose and Intended Effect

Objective

The objective of the legislation is to introduce yearly mandated sales targets for new zero emission cars and vans for vehicle manufacturers to meet, ramping up to 80% of new cars, and 70% of new vans, by 2030, and introduce non-zero emissions vehicle (non-ZEV) CO2 emissions regulations for all new non-ZEV cars and vans sold.

Background

The Scottish Government, UK Government, Welsh Government, and Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) consulted on a zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate and non-ZEV CO2 emissions regulation that will be the crucial first step in helping the Scottish Government realise our commitment to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

The ZEV mandate will apply to Scotland, Wales and England from January 2024. The intent of the Department for Infrastructure (NI) remains that Northern Ireland will join the mandate when the Assembly is able to pass the required legislation. In the interim, Northern Ireland will retain an appropriately scaled version of the existing CO2 emissions regulation for new cars and vans.

A full Cost Benefit Analysis undertaken by UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland), that includes more detailed analysis alongside environmental, equality and policy analysis, can be accessed.

Rationale for Government Intervention

The Scottish Government declared a Global Climate Emergency in April 2019 and announced that Scotland will be carbon neutral by 2040 and will emit net-zero emissions by 2045. The Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan update (CCPu), published in December 2020, set out the pathway to meet Scotland’s statutory greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2032. 

With the transport sector being the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Scotland, accounting for 29% of all emissions in 2019, and road transport making up the majority of those emissions at 66% (Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics), we have committed to decarbonising transport in Scotland. Scotland’s ambitious climate change legislation sets a target date for net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2045, with interim targets of 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. In line with this, the National Transport Strategy 2 sets out the strategic vision for Scotland’s transport system and the national Mission Zero for transport aims to ensure people and places benefit fairly from the shift to sustainable, zero emission mobility. This underlines our ambition to deliver a healthier, cleaner and greener Scotland for current and future generations.

The Scottish Government commitment is to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, with an increasing uptake of zero emission vehicles in the period up to 2030 essential to help us meet that goal. 

Therefore, the Scottish Government, alongside the UK Government, Welsh Government, and Department for Infrastructure (Northern Ireland), are implementing a Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate and non-ZEV CO2 emissions regulations that are a crucial first step to meet our commitment.