Daily Express, on Climate, 7 November 2026

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Petrol and diesel cars set to ‘disappear’ from UK roads by this date

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Petrol and diesel cars set to ‘disappear’ from UK roads by this date EXCLUSIVE: Experts have suggested that petrol and diesel cars could "disappear" from UK roads in the not too distant future. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Add us as preferred source Comments By Luke Chillingsworth , Cars Reporter 08:01, Sat, Nov 7, 2026 Petrol and diesel cars could 'disappear' from UK roads by the mid 2040s (Image: Getty) Traditional petrol and diesel cars could be completely off UK roads within 20 years, according to a stunning new prediction.

Dr Leah-Nani Alconcel, University of Birmingham professor and planetary exploration engineer, has tipped combustion models to “disappear” around the “mid-to-late 2040s”. UK officials will stop the sale of brand new petrol and diesel models by 2030, but second-hand vehicles can remain on the road. Used cars can have a long lifespan, with most road-going models lasting well over 10 years. It means that it could take another 20 years from now until all petrol and diesel combustion models are off the roads.

Speaking exclusively to the Express, Dr Leah-Nani said: “Sales of new pure petrol and diesel cars are due to end in 2030, and hybrids will follow in 2035. Existing cars can still be driven and sold after that, though. Cars typically stay on the road for well over a decade, so without intervention most second-hand petrol and diesel cars would not disappear until the mid-to-late 2040s.” Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Andy Burnham’s new £210 car tax rule change – starts in April 2027 The 10 UK areas least affected by Andy Burnham’s new £40 driveway charges Get motoring news and advice plus selected offers and competitions I would like to receive emails from the Daily Express featuring our latest products, services, offers, and promotions from across the Reach Plc family .

Subscribe Invalid email You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info . (Image: Getty) Petrol is still the most dominant fuel type on the road, with data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealing that over 720,000 models have been sold so far this year.

In comparison, just under 455,000 fully electric models have left forecourts, with a similar number of hybrid models. Demand for diesel vehicles is now beginning to fall, with just 77,683 cars sold so far in 2026, down from the 83.656 at this stage last year. It is expected that demand for petrol and diesel cars will naturally tail off, with no formal deadline set for when second-hand combustion models will be off the roads. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT However, Dr Leah-Nani stressed that officials could consider one method if they wanted to speed up the process.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT She told the Express: “Consumers need incentives to convert to electric vehicles. The 2009 scrappage scheme was extremely effective in removing older petrol and diesel vehicles from the roads, and a similar initiative could accelerate the process considerably.” See more of the stories you love from Daily Express and find us easily in Google by making us a Preferred Source. Free and easy-to-do, just click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

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What we found (1)

The Express reports a University of Birmingham engineer's estimate that petrol and diesel cars will leave UK roads by the mid-to-late 2040s, and it attributes that estimate to her clearly. A picture caption tells readers that petrol cars are still the majority of new car sales, but the article's own sales figures show petrol at well under half.

  1. Uses figures that mislead

    Serious

    “Petrol cars still make up the majority of new car sales”

    Why this matters
    The caption says petrol cars are "the majority of new car sales", which presents petrol's share as more than half of the market.
    The impression it gives
    More than half of new cars sold in the UK this year still run on petrol, so the shift away from combustion cars has barely begun.
    The context
    The article's own SMMT figures show about 720,000 petrol sales against just under 455,000 fully electric, a similar number of hybrids and 77,683 diesels. That is roughly 990,000 non-petrol sales, so petrol is the largest single fuel type but well short of a majority, at around four in ten sales.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“just under 455,000 fully electric models have left forecourts, with a similar number of hybrid models”
    • Elsewhere in the article“with just 77,683 cars sold so far in 2026”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Petrol remains the single biggest fuel type for new cars, with over 720,000 sold this year, though electric and hybrid models together now outsell it.

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