An overwhelming majority of drivers around the UK assume Labour will perform another U-turn and change the deadline to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, according to research.
New data has found that 80 per cent of drivers are preparing themselves for the Government to U-turn on the current 2030 deadline to outlaw the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines.
Labour had previously pledged to reinstate the 2030 deadline, which was changed by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to 2035, alongside the watering down of other net zero targets.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed in April that sales of new petrol and diesel cars would be prohibited at the end of the decade, although hybrids would remain on sale until 2035.
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Most drivers believe the Government will perform another U-turn on the 2030 petrol and diesel car ban
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This remains an integral part of the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which requires manufacturers to have a certain amount of sales come from electric vehicles.
The target for the end of the year is 28 per cent, before rising gradually every year, before reaching 80 per cent in 2030 and 100 per cent five years later.
Despite this, the latest data from the Road to 2030 Report from Auto Trader shows that the electric share of new car enquiries remains at just 18 per cent.
A noted surge was seen in March as drivers looked to beat the raft of new car tax changes being introduced at the start of the new financial year in April.
Based on the current trajectory, Auto Trader has forecast that new electric car sales will have a market share of just 45 per cent by the end of the decade, far short of the 80 per cent ZEV mandate target.
Experts have noted that the rate of growth and adoption of electric cars will naturally increase as more drivers adapt to leaving petrol and diesel cars, but that more needs to be done.
The electric share of sales has jumped more than five percentage points over the last 12 months, although not even a 10 per cent increase annually would be enough to meet Government targets.
Ian Plummer, commercial director of Auto Trader, warned that there was a "genuine concern" that the UK would not meet net zero targets to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.
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He said: "While the availability of affordable new and used EVs is increasing, and the £1.4billion recently committed by the Government to support the transition is promising, it may take time for these improvements to reach and reassure the wider public.
"We should sound a note of caution, though. New EV sales are still running below the 28 per cent target for this year under the Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate.
"Moreover, on current trends, according to our latest Road to 2030 report, we're likely to fall well short of the 80 per cent target in five years' time."
The latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers (SMMT) showed that new sales of electric cars in June represented a 39 per cent increase year-on-year.
Sir Keir Starmer announced changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate in April
PAEVs also captured an impressive 24.8 per cent of the market share, as interest in petrol and diesel vehicles continues to fall.
More than two-fifths of Britons said they are now less likely to invest in an EV because of the additional tax hikes introduced in April, including the Expensive Car Supplement, which now applies to EVs that cost more than £40,000.
Any vehicle over this threshold is required to pay £425 a year for five years, adding thousands of pounds to the total running cost of an electric car.
Plummer concluded, saying: "June's numbers show a decent performance for the UK new car market, with registrations outperforming last year and a welcome rebound in retail demand as retailers work hard for sales. The standout story is the surge in electric vehicle sales, around a quarter of all registrations in June."
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