Plans to mandate that all new HGVs sold from 2040 must be zero emission should not echo the rules in place for cars and vans “under any circumstances”, the government has been told.
The warning comes from the National Franchised Dealers Association’s (NFDA) commercial vehicle division, which has made a written submission to the government’s consultation on the matter.
The zero-emission vehicle mandate demands that 33% of all new cars registered in 2026 be electric, with this figure rising to 80% by 2030. Last year the target was 28%, yet only 23.4% was achieved despite heavy subsidies and tax breaks.
Back in 2021 the then Conservative government announced that all new heavy goods vehicles sold from 2040 should be zero emission, banning the sale of new diesel trucks and effectively mandating electric ones from that date. New HGVs weighing up to 26 tonnes will be banned from sale from 2035.
Ministers opened a consultation into electric trucks in January 2026. While the documentation for this concedes HGVs are “significantly more challenging to decarbonise than cars and vans”, it also states that Westminster is “firmly committed” to phasing out diesel trucks across 2035 and 2040, with the call for evidence aiming to catalyse “discussion around how we may design a regulation to enable these phase-out dates”.
With hydrogen technology languishing as manufacturers focus on battery-powered road transport, electric HGVs are the only mass-market option, and issues surrounding them abound, including:
Four-tonne battery packs robbing significant cargo capacity; downtime associated with charging; significantly increased purchase prices over diesel tractor units; ranges of just 300 miles or so; and the unmanageable demands on electrical infrastructure EV trucks would require to recharge their batteries in a palatable time.
The NFDA says the EV truck policy has “placed considerable pressure on both manufacturers and dealers, forcing heavy discounting to stimulate a market that does not yet have matching customer demand”, and warns that firms operating truck fleets are “reluctant to switch to electric vehicles”.
The organisation’s chief executive, Sue Robinson comments:
“Truck dealers and manufacturers must not be placed under pressure to sell expensive zero-emission trucks where there is currently limited demand and no realistic public or open-access HGV charging infrastructure in place. Purchasing decisions are driven by price, reliability, and long-term business viability.
“Whatever approach the government takes towards its 2035 targets for trucks up to 26 tonnes, and its 2040 targets for heavier vehicles, it must be realistic and designed to drive genuine demand, rather than imposing requirements that risk causing financial hardship for customers, HGV dealers, and truck manufacturers.”
