IGA says investment critical to meeting 2035 target

The Independent Garage Association (IGA) has called for government investment to ensure the industry has the skills and infrastructure to meet the newly-announced 2035 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced this week that the ban was being pushed back from 2030 to 2035.

The IGA welcomed the news, but urged government to support industry meet this revised deadline.

Stuart James, IGA chief executive, said: “The announcement by the Prime Minister represents a reality check that the infrastructure required to support wholesale EV adoption in the UK is currently lagging behind where it would need to be, had the 2030 ban remained in place.

“In the current challenging economic climate, to impose the high cost of new electric vehicles on businesses and consumers would be a step too far, so pushing back the ban date 2035 is the right thing to do.

“To ensure that the new 2035 is achieved, there needs to be government support not only for the required infrastructure, but also for upskilling of staff across the independent automotive sector, in order to provide consumers with the confidence that making the change to electric vehicles, is backed up with an accessible network of local, competent garages to meet the changes in their motoring needs.”