EU to Ban Sale of New Petrol and Diesel Cars by 2035

The EU has reached an agreement to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2035, as part of the 'Fit for 55' package designed to meet the EU climate targets to reduce global warming gases.

The deal includes a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions for new cars sold from 2030 compared to 2021 levels, while new vans must meet a 50% reduction by 2030 compared to 2021 levels and a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2035.

This is a historic decision as it sets for the first time a clear decarbonisation pathway – with targets in 2025, 2030 and 2035 and aligned with our goal of climate neutrality by 2050,

said Pascal Canfin, the chair of the environment committee of the European Parliament.

Negotiators also agreed that the EU would prepare a proposal on how "CO2-neutral" cars could be sold after 2035.

Transport is the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions have increased over the last 30 years: between 1990 and 2019, they rose by 33.5%. Passenger cars are a significant polluter, accounting for 61% of total CO2 emissions from road transport in the EU.