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Weekly News: EU 2035 Ban U-Turn, New Jaguar EV, New Nissan Leaf
This week’s automotive news covers the EU softening its 2035 petrol and diesel ban, Jaguar’s bold EV revival, Nissan starting new Leaf production in the UK, plus key van and pick-up updates for buyers.
Words by: Andrew Woodhouse
Published on 19 December 2025 | 0 min read
Here are the biggest stories of the week, as selected by our team.
Spotlight: The EU scraps its 2035 petrol and Diesel ban
This week following lobbying from car manufactures, the European Commission proposed a softening to its target for all new cars to be zero-emission by 2035. The suggested change requires only 90 per cent of cars to produce zero emissions, allowing the remaining 10 per cent to be petrol, diesel, or hybrid. In addition, there will be rules to try to compensate for these higher emitting vehicles such as using carbon-neutral fuels. Meanwhile, the UK government had already planned to review its Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) mandate and we expect to hear the results in early 2027. However, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has announced she would scrap the legislation altogether if her party wins the next election. Read more on this here.
Spotlight: The big cat is back!
Jaguar’s rebirth as a luxury EV-only brand has raised more than a few eyebrows, but whatever you think of the Type 00 concept, it is certainly a head-turner. Now, Jaguar is a step closer to translating its new direction into a fully functional road car and we’ve been for a passenger ride in the latest prototype. Find out what the new GT is like and hear what the bigwigs at Jaguar have to say here!
Spotlight: Nissan starts production of the all-new Leaf
The third generation Leaf is a big deal for Nissan and the UK. The Leaf is a poster child for the UK’s automotive manufacturing industry, and this week full production of the latest version began at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. Back in October we were invited to test the new Leaf in Copenhagen, and it was clear just how proud Nissan is of the car. And the new Leaf is just the start of Nissan’s carbon neutrality journey. Nissan hopes in the future its electric cars will sit at the centre of a whole ecosystem which will also be connected to homes and the grid, helping to improve efficiency and reduce costs for its customers. - Catherine Kent
Van news now with a couple of stories that caught our eyes this week.
First up, no sooner have we reviewed the Kia PV5 Cargo and Passenger models, we’ve been told a seven-seater version is on the way in 2026, and new height and length options are in development for the panel van version. Also, the price you’ll pay for a top-spec version of the PV5 Passenger comes in over £20K cheaper than the Volkswagen ID.Buzz... which should lead to some healthy competition! Secondly, Mitsubishi has confirmed the latest generation of its L200 pick-up truck is coming to the UK in 2026. However, this return will meet with a crowded market. Toyota has confirmed the ninth generation of the Hilux is on its way (including the Hilux BEV), the latest Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok are continuing to prove incredibly popular, the new Isuzu D-Max is the best yet, GWM just launched its Poer300 diesel pick-up, and KGM and Maxus also have pick-ups aplenty vying for your attention. While it’s great to see Mitsubishi bring the L200 back to the UK, we can't help but feel it will struggle to find its place. The spread on pricing amongst its competitors is wide and they’ll have to peg it just right to make headway. - Tom Roberts
First up, no sooner have we reviewed the Kia PV5 Cargo and Passenger models, we’ve been told a seven-seater version is on the way in 2026, and new height and length options are in development for the panel van version. Also, the price you’ll pay for a top-spec version of the PV5 Passenger comes in over £20K cheaper than the Volkswagen ID.Buzz... which should lead to some healthy competition! Secondly, Mitsubishi has confirmed the latest generation of its L200 pick-up truck is coming to the UK in 2026. However, this return will meet with a crowded market. Toyota has confirmed the ninth generation of the Hilux is on its way (including the Hilux BEV), the latest Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok are continuing to prove incredibly popular, the new Isuzu D-Max is the best yet, GWM just launched its Poer300 diesel pick-up, and KGM and Maxus also have pick-ups aplenty vying for your attention. While it’s great to see Mitsubishi bring the L200 back to the UK, we can't help but feel it will struggle to find its place. The spread on pricing amongst its competitors is wide and they’ll have to peg it just right to make headway. - Tom Roberts