Europe to ditch petrol, diesel ban: report

A landmark car ban in Europe could be overturned, according to reports.

In 2021 the European Union announced its initial plan to phase out the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.

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It now looks like this at-the-time ground-breaking ban will no longer come to fruition, according reports by AutoCar. 

The article quotes German newspaper Bild.

It stated president of the EPP, the European Parliament’s biggest party, Manfred Weber, said the 2035 plans were “off the table”.

It means there will be more flexible emission reduction rules in place. 

Mandatory CO2 reduction will shift from 100 per cent to 90 per cent of manufacturers fleet targets for new registrations from 2035. 

Weber continued that “there will also be no 100% target from 2040 onwards”, meaning that completely banning combustion engines will not happen.

As per the Bild report, these rule changes will supposedly secure tens of thousands of jobs, with combustion engines continuing to be built in Europe for the foreseeable future. 

AutoCar said the EU is expected to make an official announcement tomorrow. 

There are already rumours of manufacturers speculating on these changes by bringing back previously unfeasible models under the 2035 rules. 

Last week, it was reported that Hyundai is planning to re-establish its i30 N hatch in Europe, after the brand canned the hot hatch in 2024 for emissions-related reasons. 

It is unclear what impact the proposed ban lift will have in Australia, but we do know that European cars are one of the biggest imports of vehicles down under.

Regardless of changes to Europe’s rules, brands selling cars in Australia will still have to abide by domestic regulations. 

In Australia, the federal government has not introduced a full sales ban on new combustion cars like other countries such as the UK, but there has been a sustained push towards electrification.

The federal government is targeting five million electric vehicles on Aussie roads by 2035.

In the Australian Capital Territory, there are plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035, in line with the previous EU commitment.

Manufacturers are also subject to the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard nationally, earning or paying for credits for their fleet’s average emissions.

A full review of the scheme is planned for 2026.