The European Commission quietly stepped back from a full ban on all fossil fuel cars back in December 2025, but that shift has left plenty of drivers with the wrong impression. Most ordinary petrol and diesel cars on sale today still face being squeezed out of the market well before the next decade is out.
The EU’s 90 percent target replaces a full ban
The European Commission has confirmed a new degree of flexibility in its planned restrictions on petrol and diesel cars from 2035, laid out in a written response to the European Parliament. Wopke Hoekstra, the EU’s climate commissioner, confirmed the shift in direction for the combustion engine, stating that it will still play a role beyond 2035.
The change in practice is a softening of the original target, from a full 100 percent cut in CO2 emissions down to 90 percent. According to Hoekstra, the proposal gives the industry greater flexibility and stronger technological neutrality, while still keeping a clear market signal pointed toward zero emission vehicles. That nuance, a 90 percent cut rather than 100 percent, has been widely misread by drivers as the ban being scrapped altogether.
Plug-in hybrids EU ban risk remains very real
The idea that ordinary petrol and diesel cars can keep being built much as they are today once 2035 arrives is a significant misunderstanding. The overall emissions requirements manufacturers face remain extremely strict. Even modern plug-in hybrids still emit carbon dioxide and count against a brand’s overall climate accounting, meaning many mainstream hybrid models remain at real risk of disappearing from sale lists despite the headline softening.
In practice, the models most likely to survive under the tighter rules will mostly be expensive, low volume niche cars. Manufacturers are expected to reserve their limited remaining emissions headroom for the vehicles that generate the highest profit margins, rather than spreading it across mainstream, high volume models.
EU 2035 exemptions cover motorcycles, trucks and buses
It is worth noting what the 2035 rules actually cover in the first place. The restrictions apply primarily to new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. Motorcycles, heavy trucks, buses and construction machinery all sit entirely outside the scope of the 2035 requirements, giving those categories considerably more breathing room than the passenger car market is set to have.
