FairFuelUK: Keeping the 2030 Petrol and Diesel Ban Will Cripple the UK Economy with Zero Gain

UNITED KINGDOM, August 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Department for Transport has reaffirmed that the UK’s 2030 phase-out of pure-petrol and diesel cars remains firmly in place, as does the 2035 ban on hybrids. Unlike the European Union, which has abandoned its outright ban on combustion-engined vehicles, Britain is pressing ahead with these rigid deadlines. Why?

FairFuelUK has repeatedly shown that this virtue-signalling 2030 ban on diesel and petrol will cost at least five times the alleged environmental benefits. So what is the point of bankrupting the British economy? https://fairfueluk.com/2030-Ban.html

The original hard 2035 ban has been significantly softened in the EU Commission’s 2025 proposal. Under the current draft, there is no absolute end date for new diesel or petrol cars in the EU. The EU has moved from a hard 2035 zero-emission requirement to a more flexible 90% target, allowing some combustion-engined vehicles to continue indefinitely. Why hasn't the UK followed suit?

Howard Cox, Founder of FairFuelUK, said: “Keeping the 2030 ban will cripple the UK economy and will not accelerate the uptake of expensive EVs. The Government is forcing them onto us without consultation and is relying on subsidies and tax breaks to bribe us all into submission. And the national grid simply cannot cope with the extra load required to keep the nation fully charged.”

"The rest of Europe has sensibly put back its ban on new fossil-fuel car sales. Wanting to lead the way with an ill-informed, clueless approach that wrecks the UK economy for pure ideology makes no sense whatsoever."

"British motorists, manufacturers and jobs are being sacrificed on the altar of a target that independent analysis proves delivers vanishingly small climate returns at enormous economic cost. Drivers deserve better than this. Scrap the 2030 ban now – before the damage becomes irreversible. The war on the motorist remains at the heart of Labour's ignorance of how to make the economy grow."

FairFuelUK continues to urge the Government to follow the evidence, protect the 37 million UK motorists who keep the country moving, and abandon this self-destructive policy.

www.fairfueluk.com

FairFuelUK is the independent grassroots campaign representing Britain’s drivers and hauliers. Founded by Howard Cox, it has successfully fought for successive freezes in fuel duty and campaigns for fairer transport taxation, realistic emissions policy and the protection of personal mobility.

We are a public affairs team with no shareholders to satisfy, just an award-winning campaign representing the real concerns of hard-working motorists, families, small businesses, commercial drivers and hauliers across the UK. Decades of fiscal exploitation by successive Governments with little in return warrant the need for FairFuelUK.

FairFuelUK was founded by and is managed by the Campaign's CEO, Howard Cox

Funding comes from regular donations from supporters.

Previous backers have included Logistics UK, the RHA, the RAC, Association of Pallet Networks, UKLPG and others

Since 2010, FairFuelUK has saved drivers over £200bn in planned tax hikes in duty and VAT through constructive and objective campaigning. Now the immediate pressure group's focus is on stopping those unnecessary tax hikes based on a good-intentioned but flawed 'green' agenda. These include new taxes and bans on drivers entering our major cities, and potentially adding more costs on petrol and diesel drivers by the Treasury. These are new taxes that will not improve air quality, but simply hit consumers and the economy. There are ways to improve air quality without hitting consumers' pockets.


Current FairFuelUK Campaign Issues include:
Fuel duty, VAT on duty - PumpWatch and fuel price transparency - Effective ways to lower emissions but not through tax hikes - Stop the perennial demonisation of van drivers, hauliers and motorists - Quash ULEZ, LTNs, 15 minute areas - Scrap 2030 Ban on the sales of new diesel and petrol cars - More investment in UK roads similar to the level of HS2 spend - Establish a long term Government strategic roads transport plan - Halt unnecessary cash generating congestion zones and ULEZ expansion - VED and its future - Influence fairer future road user taxation plans and road funding with fuel duty revenue predicted to decline - Help role out new vehicle technology in a way that does not hit drivers in the pocket - Scrap hospital parking charges - Other related motoring costs and driving issues

Howard Cox
FairFuelUK
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