Slowly but surely, the UK is moving towards a future dominated by hybrids and EVs on the roads. As the technology becomes more affordable and the capabilities of electric vehicles improve, it’s now easy to see a future where greener cars are the norm. 

In addition, the government is becoming increasingly vocal on the benefits and importance of trading up to something more eco-friendly. Various incentives are currently on the table, providing drivers with the opportunity to save thousands on the price of a new hybrid or EV. This has led to a spike in car scrapping and recycling activity, as drivers do their ‘bit’ by upgrading. 

But what does this mean for the future of conventional petrol and diesel cars? Could we be headed for a future where petrol and diesel cars are actually banned from UK roads? If so, when is this huge shift likely to take place?

An Ambitious Objective 

The government’s intentions where zero-emissions cars are concerned are ambitious to say the least. Some would say impossibly so, as it was as recently as 2018 that the government outlined a plan to make every new car sold in the UK zero emission by 2040. This would mean that in just 20 years, it would be impossible to legally buy or sell a new car in the UK with a petrol or diesel engine. 

Technically speaking, this isn’t necessarily as difficult as it sounds. The reason being that some of the world’s biggest car manufacturers have already outlined plans to stop making traditional petrol and diesel cars entirely over the coming years. It will be illegal to buy and sell ‘new’ cars with combustion engines, but there won’t be any available anyway. 

On this front, therefore, it’s perfectly possible that petrol and diesel cars will have disappeared from dealerships entirely by 2040. 

Scrapping and Recycling 

One of the biggest concerns shared by drivers across the UK is the potential introduction of an outright ban on petrol and diesel cars in general. If combustion engines were to be driven off the roads entirely, this could lead to millions being forced to scrap and recycle their cars. Many of whom simply would not have the money needed to trade up to something better – even with the incentives available at the time. 

This would represent a doomsday scenario for many, though luckily isn’t something that’s likely to happen in the near future. For now, there are simply too many of these types of cars in circulation for any outright ban to be introduced. The consequences would be catastrophic, so there’s no need to panic for the time being. 

While a future free of all types of combustion engines is a definite possibility, it’s highly unlikely your current car will be declared illegal and taken off the roads anytime soon. 

Take My Scrap Car

At Take My Scrap Car, we offer the region’s most accessible and flexible car scrapping and recycling service. When the time comes to retire a car from service, we handle all aspects of the process from start to finish. 

Simply contact a member of the team at TMSC and we’ll handle everything on your behalf. We’ll collect your vehicle at a convenient time, take it away for responsible recycling and lend a hand with the DVLA paperwork. We even promise to pay the best possible price for your car on the day, calculated in accordance with scrap values. 

For more information or to discuss our car scrapping and recycling services in more detail, contact a member of the team at Take My Scrap Car anytime.