Two weeks ago, the UK government reacted tothe latest round of tariffinsanity in the United States by altering itsplans to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. Prime Minister Keir Starmerannounced his country is reinstating its proposed ban on the sale of new carspowered solely by internal combustion engines as of 2030, but that regulationsregarding the manufacturing targets for electric cars and vans will also bechanged. To help companies navigate the transition, sales of conventionalhybrid vehicles will be permitted for an additional five years.
UK transportation minister Heidi Alexandertold the BBC the US tariff plan announced last week is “badnews for the global economy because it’s bad for global demand, it’s bad forprices and it’s bad for consumers. The changes we are making have been verycarefully calibrated so as not to have a big impact upon the carbon emissionssavings that are baked into this policy. In fact, the impact on carbonemissions as a result of these changes is negligible.”
The new measures will allow luxury supercarcompanies such as Aston Martin and McLaren to keep producing gasoline-poweredcars after 2030 because they manufacture only a small number of vehicles eachyear. Aston Martin sold just over 6000 cars in 2024 while McLaren sold just1270 of its ultra-rare road cars. New hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars cancontinue to be sold until 2035. Gasoline- and diesel-powered vans will alsocontinue to be allowed to be sold until 2035 as well.
The Green party MP Siân Berry told TheGuardian,“The government is wrong to apply thebrakes on the sale of EV cars. This is just the latest in a series of booststhe Labour government has given fossil fuel industries. We’ve also seen thegreen light being given to airport expansion and a new road tunnel under theThames. This suggests Labour is weakening its climate commitments, and itshealth related policy goals because all these moves will have a detrimentalimpact on air quality. Slowing down the move away from fossil-fuelled transportmakes no economic sense either, since green sectors of the economy are growingthree times faster than the overall UK economy.”
Colin Walker, the head of transport at theEnergy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said, “In weakening the mandate elsewhereby extending flexibilities and allowing the sale of standard hybrids between2030 and 2035, the government risks reducing the competition it has stimulatedbetween manufacturers, meaning prices for families seeking an EV might not fallas fast, and sales could slow. The growth of the secondhand EV market, wheremost of us buy our cars, would in turn be stunted, leaving millions of familiesstuck in petrol and hybrid cars paying a petrol premium of hundreds, and eventhousands, of pounds a year.”
Alexander defended the government’s action andsaid it had “struck the right balance” between protecting British businessesand cutting carbon emissions. To those who believe keeping the 2030 target forthe phase out of conventional cars would hobble the domestic auto industry at atime when it is struggling, she said, “It is an opportunity for the carindustry to remain at the cutting edge of the transition to EVs, but it’s rightthat we’re pragmatic. It’s right that we are looking at how we can be flexiblein the way in which car manufacturers make this transition, because we wantcheaper EVs to be available for consumers. We want people to be able to benefitfrom those lower running costs as well. And so it’s important that, as agovernment, we do everything that we can, not only to support Britishbusinesses and manufacturing to grow the economy, but also to cut those carbonemissions, and I think we have struck the right balance in the package thatwe’re announcing today.”
Asked by BBC Radio 4 whetherPrime Minister Starmer was prepared to use the relationship he has built withthe alleged US president to suggest he change course on his tariff fiasco, shesaid: “Obviously when the prime minister has discussions internationally withallies, he will be honest about what is in the best interests of the Britishpeople.” Spoken like a true politician. She added that the imposition of thosetariffs last week by the US meant the UK government had to look at its EV planswith “renewed urgency.”
BYD Sales Success In The UK
There is a general feeling in parts of the USthat the EV revolution is over and Americans will just continue drivinginternal combustion ground pounders forever and a day. What is happening in theUK puts the boots to that myth. In the first quarter of 2025, BYD sold morecars in the UK — 9,271 — than it did in all of 2024 — 8787.
In a pressrelease, the company said the two versions ofthe BYD Seal —one a plug-in hybrid and the other battery-electric — had a breakout quarter.The plug-in hybrid car outsold every other PHEV in the UK in the first quarterwhile the battery-electric version of the car was the seventh best sellingEV. Steve Beattie, the director of sales and marketing for BYD UK said,“I am incredibly proud of our latest achievement in the UK. Thanks to thetireless work of our team and retailer partners, we have smashed yet anothersales record. At BYD our mission is to bring high tech and high value cars toour customers, and it’s great to see this resonating with UK buyers. With theaddition of Sealion 7, we are confident that more people will continue tochoose BYD.”
The all new BYDSealion 7 only went on sale in the UK in March,but has already proven popular with customers. Based on BYD’s e-platform 3.0and utilizing the brand’s innovative Blade Battery, the Sealion 7 combinessporty performance, stylish SUV design, cutting edge technology with abeautifully finished and spacious cabin. With an all-electric range of up to312 miles, the Sealion 7 extends the influence of BYD in the UK new car market.
It is true that BYD’s market share is prettysmall right now — in March it was just 1.8% of the new carmarket — but it only began selling itspassenger cars in the UK two years ago. All things considered, BYD is prettypleased with how well things are going in the British Isles. It has more than2,500 electric buses in operation in major cities across the country and hasinstalled 1.8 GWh of battery energy storage for the national grid in the UK.Pretty soon, vehicles manufactured by BYD will be available in every new carmarket in the world — except for the United States. Whether that makes the US awinner or a loser depends entirely on your point of view.