Cars, stop to combustion engines from 2035 in Europe: EU objectives change, the news

Important news is arriving regarding the stop to the sale of cars with internal combustion engines from 2035 in Europe. The tender for internal combustion vehicles had already undergone a first revision but the EU has once again addressed the issue by introducing some changes. The transition towards electric mobility remains a strategic objective of the European Union but the path to achieving it is becoming less rigid. Between new exemptions, environmental credits and greater openness to alternative fuels, Brussels is redesigning the rules that will affect the future of the automotive industry.

The most recent news arrived on 4 November 2026, when the Environment Committee of the European Parliament supported a revision of the objectives on CO₂ emissions, further opening up the possibility of continuing to produce and market cars with internal combustion engines even after 2035. The proposal will now have to face the vote of the plenary assembly, expected in December, before moving on to discussion with the member states. It is therefore not a modification that has already been definitively approved.

The European regulation approved in 2023 establishes that from 2035 new cars and vans registered in the EU must achieve a 100% reduction in tailpipe CO₂ emissions compared to 2021 levels. In practice, this objective would have excluded vehicles powered by petrol and diesel from the new market. The European Commission, with the Automotive package presented in December 2025, had already proposed reducing the target to 90%, introducing compensation mechanisms for the remaining 10%. Parliament's Environment Committee has now supported a further revision: a reduction in tailpipe emissions by 87.5%, accompanied by credits linked to the use of low-emission steel produced in the European Union. These credits could offset part of the remaining emissions, bringing the overall target to 95%. The result is greater technological openness: manufacturers could continue to offer some types of hybrid and internal combustion engine cars, while still respecting the new environmental parameters.

Among the central aspects of the review is the recognition of a broader role for alternative technologies to battery electric mobility. Renewable fuels, such as e-fuels and sustainable biofuels, are already present in the Commission proposal as tools to offset residual emissions. Plug-in hybrid cars, those with range extenders and some mild hybrid solutions could also continue to have space in the European market. It does not mean, however, that all internal combustion vehicles can be sold without limitations: manufacturers will have to respect the average emission targets established by the legislation.

The review does not only concern 2035. The Commission's package also introduces more flexibility for producers in achieving intermediate targets, allowing any overshoots to be compensated for between several years. Furthermore, for light commercial vehicles, the European proposal reduces the emissions reduction target expected for 2030 from 50% to 40%. Parliament supported further changes, bringing the proposed reduction for vans to 35%. The legislative game, however, is not yet over. After the Environment Committee vote, the European Parliament will have to define its position in plenary and subsequently start negotiations with the EU Council.

For motorists, the prospect is that of a greater choice in terms of engines available even after 2035, if the revision is approved in its definitive form. The new rules always and only concern newly registered cars: they do not include a ban on using, buying or selling petrol and diesel cars already in circulation on the used market. For manufacturers, however, the issue concerns investments, industrial planning and the possibility of maintaining a diversified range of models during the energy transition.