Hybrid cars to be BANNED in the UK from 2040 under new plans
Any car that can't travel more than 50 miles on electric power will be outlawed under Road to Zero policy
HYBRID cars will be banned in the UK from 2040 under new government plans.
New cars that can't travel more than 50 miles on electricity won't be allowed to be sold, according to leaked reports.
That rules out the best-selling Toyota Prius which has an electric range of around 30 miles before the engine kicks in.
And an estimated 98 per cent of cars on sale today would be banned under the proposals.
The Road to Zero policy follows Michael Gove's 2040 diesel and petrol ban announcement last year.
That reveal referred to "conventional" cars being banned from sale but it now appears that plug-in hybrids on sale today would also be included.
There are currently around 50 plug-in hybrids on sale but are deemed not "environmentally friendly" enough under the plans, according to the .
The latest news will force car manufacturers to build hybrids with better batteries or electric-only models.
The car industry, which reported a small increase in UK sales today for the first time in a year, has slammed the announcement.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said: "We cannot support ambition levels which do not appreciate how industry, the consumer or the market operate and which are based neither on fact nor substance.
"Vehicle manufacturers will increasingly offer electrified versions of their vehicles giving consumers ever more choice but industry cannot dictate the pace of change nor levels of consumer demand.
"Unrealistic targets and misleading messaging on bans will only undermine our efforts to realise this future, confusing consumers and wreaking havoc on the new car market and the thousands of jobs it supports."
Hawes also called on government to provide "world class" incentives to support the policy plus boost infrastructure if they wanted to make the switch.
The government's anti-diesel policies have already cost thousands of jobs in the UK.
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Jaguar Land Rover, Vauxhall and Nissan all reported they would be downsizing production lines as diesel demand plummets.
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “It is categorically untrue that Government is planning to ban the sale of hybrid cars in the UK by 2040.
"We do not comment on leaked draft documents. The Road to Zero Strategy is yet to be finalised and has not been agreed by ministers."