UK’s shift on car sales rules may lead to higher emissions, says statutory adviser

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles emit far more carbon than electric cars. Photograph: Grant Rooney Premium/Alamy

The UK government’s weakening of vehicle sales rules in April could result in fewer electric cars on British roads and higher carbon emissions, according to its official climate adviser.

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) said flexibilities announced by Keir Starmer last month for the government’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate could lead to more plug-in hybrids being sold “at the expense of some EV sales, which would lead to a further reduction in emissions savings”.