Stopping sales of gas cars in the EU will be postponed by 2040

The ban on selling new petrol and oil cars to the EU could be postponed by 2040.

This is according to a report by The Times, which claims that “the top leader of industry” has privately confirmed that an announcement may be made, extending the current 2035 deadline, transmits Telegrafi.

Tim Tozer is former director of the United Kingdom of Vaudall, Mazda and Mitsubishi and is now chairman of the insurance firm Allianz.

He told Sunday Times that “has the proper authority that the EU will add five years to the current 2035 [afatin] to set the 2040s. [This] means that on January 1st, 2040, all new vehicles will have to be completely electrical”.

Any such action by the EU is likely to increase pressure on the United Kingdom government to postpone its gas and oil ban, which will be implemented by 2030; Keir Starmer's lab government restored the deadline after the previous conservative administration, led by Rishi Runak, postponed it in 2035, reports Telegraphy, broadcast Periscope.

It is not known when the EU will make this important announcement; however, it is believed that while the target ban of the United Kingdom for 2030 would still allow some hybrid vehicles that could cross a completely “understanding” still indefinitely sold by 2035, the EU limit for 2040 would allow only total electric vehicles to remain on sale.

The EU has been under pressure to review its planned ban for a time, not only by the German government, but also by authorities in Italy, Portugal, Slovakia and Bulgaria, which presented an alternative summer plan.

They favour a neutral target against technology that would order a 90% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2035 and a target of 100% by 2040.

If that were the case, car producers would have flexibility on how to achieve the target. Any EU report would also come after the change of policies by US President Donald Trump, who were designed to encourage American consumers towards electric vehicles.

Even though German car producers have been open in their opposition to the ban, several other automotive producers who are more on the road to full electrocution of their products have urged the EU to stand firm.

Volvo Executive Director Hakan Samuelsson recently said: “I don't see the logic in slowdown”.

In the United Kingdom, sales of electric cars have increased significantly and have increased 26% for the year 2025 to the present, but growth rates have slowed in recent months with November sales that have increased by only 3.6% compared to 2024.

Many producers are also trying to achieve the ZEV mandate targets demanding that 28% of their sales be zero emissions vehicles in 2025 and 33% in 2026.

All of this is happening while the government is simultaneously extending the Grant for Electric Machines, which announced in August 2030 and is also presenting a tax. VID miles for electric vehicles from 2028 to two movements that can be argued that offer mixed messages to consumers who think they can switch to an electric vehicle. /Periscopi/