Consumers will have to swap SUVs for ultra-low emission cars to help the UK reach its environmental targets, research by the National Audit Office (NAO) has found.
It says the UK's plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 is being hampered by a recent surge in car usage and an increased popularity in SUVs.
Carbon emissions from passenger cars have dropped just 1% over the past ten years, which is lower than the Department for Transport had hoped.
It does note, however, that the method for estimating carbon emissions has been revised, which may have had an impact on the results.
Ultra-low emission cars accounted for just 1.1% of vehicles on the road last September.
Of those, 0.5% were fully electric.
The UK Government announced last November that new vehicles powered solely by petrol or diesel will be banned from 2030.
Consumers can claim a Government grant of up to £3,000 off the price of a new plug-in car, but the NAO said it cannot yet "demonstrate the cumulative impact the grant has had on the growth of ultra-low emission cars above and beyond what might have happened anyway”.
Some £1bn has already been claimed as part of the scheme by March 2020.
The head of the NAO, Gareth Davies, said: “The number of ultra-low emission cars on UK roads has increased, but meeting the government’s ambitious targets to phase out new petrol and diesel cars in less than a decade still requires a major transition for consumers, carmakers and those responsible for charging infrastructure.
“Government now has the opportunity to reflect on what has gone well and better target its interventions and spending to secure this fundamental change and deliver the carbon reduction require."
The NAO published a report in December 2020 stating that while the plan to deliver net-zero emissions by 2050 had "helped to galvanise the automotive industry to change", the lack of long-term planning by the government was hindering investment planning.
