Guidance

Government fleet commitment

Updated 17 April 2025

In 2017, the government committed to electrifying 25% of cars in central government department fleets by 2022. The Road to zero strategy, published the following year, expanded upon the announcement and set forth that 25% of the central government car fleet would consist of ultra-low emission vehicles by 2022 – known as the government fleet commitment.

With the publication of Decarbonising transport: a better, greener Britain, government increased the ambition of the fleet commitment. The commitment states that 100% of the central government car and van fleet will be fully zero emission by 2027.

The target of 100% of the central government car and van fleet denotes vehicles that:

• are in scope of the commitment

• are not exempt

• have not been given an additional exemption

Scope of the fleet commitment

The government fleet commitment applies to all central government departments and their arm’s length bodies (ALBs) as identified in Cabinet Office guidance on the classification of public bodies.

ALBs within the scope of the commitment include:

• executive agencies (EAs)

• non-ministerial departments (NMDs)

• executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)

• any other non-market bodies mainly controlled and financed by one or more central government departments

These organisations will be referred to as ‘reporting organisations’ in this guidance.

Devolved administrations, local authorities, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories are not within scope of the commitment.

Vehicles in scope

All cars and vans owned and leased by a reporting organisation are in the scope of the government fleet commitment unless otherwise specified. This also includes car club vehicles.

Hire cars and vans are within the scope of the commitment if they are hired for 6 or more days. This excludes off-hire and non-chargeable days (for example, for delivery or collection).

Cars

‘Cars’ refers to category M1 vehicles, meaning vehicles used for the carriage of passengers that contain no more than 8 seats in addition to the driver’s seat.

Vans

‘Vans’ refers to category N1 vehicles, meaning vehicles that have a gross weight that does not exceed 3,500kg and are used for the carriage of goods.

It also includes zero emission vans used for the carriage of goods with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3,500kg up to 4,250kg.

For more information about vehicle type approval categories, see the definitions on the Vehicle Certification Agency’s website.

Reporting fleet data

Departments must report fleet data quarterly to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).

Central government departments should collect their reporting data themselves and on behalf of their ALBs – unless otherwise agreed.

Exemptions

Some category M1 and N1 vehicles are exempt from the government fleet commitment by default and do not form part of the 100% zero emission vehicle fleet target.

These vehicles include:

• cars and vans that are part of a salary sacrifice scheme

• armoured vehicles

• emergency response vehicles fitted with blue warning beacons

• vehicles that accrue less than two-thirds of their annual mileage in the UK (mileage accrued in the UK does not include the Overseas Territories or Crown Dependencies)

• vehicles that are not used for road transport, for example, training and testing vehicles

• hire cars and vans operated for less than 6 days

Hire cars and vans are within the scope of the commitment if they are hired for 6 or more days. This excludes off-hire and non-chargeable days (for example for delivery or collection).

See the VCA’s website for more information about vehicle type approval.

Additional exemptions

Additional exemptions from the commitment will only be considered for vehicles that meet the following criteria.

Security risk

An additional exemption may be granted if meeting the commitment would pose a security risk.

For example, vehicles that must regularly conduct covert surveillance operations may qualify for an additional exemption.

Safety requirements are not met

An additional exemption may be granted if no zero emission vehicle (ZEV) options meet safety requirements.

This may include instances where exceptionally strict safety-related restrictions prohibit the use of current ZEV technology. For example, fire safety restrictions may prohibit the use of battery electric and hydrogen powertrain vehicles at civil nuclear sites.

Technically viable

An additional exemption may be granted if no ZEV options are technically viable.

This may include instances where the ZEVs on the market contain components or technology that are incompatible with a specialist vehicle’s intended use case. For example, in limited cases, high-voltage systems in EVs may interfere with highly sensitive electronic equipment.

All additional exemptions from the government fleet commitment will be temporary unless otherwise specified.

When an additional exemption expires, the affected vehicles will fall back within scope of the commitment and, therefore, reporting responsibilities.

Referring to the above criteria does not guarantee an additional exemption for a reporting organisation.

Contact OZEV to discuss your exemption application.

Apply for an exemption

Reporting organisations can apply for an exemption from the government fleet commitment. They must do this by 31 May 2025.

To apply for an exemption, you should use the application form on the GOV.UK landing page for this guidance.

Organisations will be notified of the result of their application by the end of July 2025.

Further application dates will be advised in due course.

The reporting organisation may wish to:

• renew a previously agreed exemption
• acquire a new agreement for vehicles that were previously exempt

If a reporting organisation believes any of the vehicles in its fleet meet the criteria for an additional exemption, it may seek an exemption from the commitment.

You will need to provide the following within the application:

• total number of cars and vans in the fleet
• number of vehicles for which an exemption is sought
• number of vehicles in the organisation’s fleet that are exempt by default
• number of vehicles in the organisation’s fleet that have been given an additional exemption
• rationale for the exemption
• desired duration of the exemption

All requests for exemptions are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Apply for an additional exemption

If you are seeking an additional exemption, you will need to provide one or more of the following in your application:

• evidence of the likely security risk that could result from meeting the commitment
• evidence that shows current ZEV options do not meet necessary safety requirements
• evidence that shows current ZEV options are not technically viable for the vehicle’s intended use case

The reporting organisation should provide evidence to demonstrate it has explored all available options to meet the commitment before seeking an exemption.

This evidence should show that no safe, technically viable ZEV alternatives were available when the application was submitted.

If an organisation has failed to consider all reasonable options, it may not be granted an exemption.

Contact OZEV to discuss your case and whether vehicles in your organisation’s fleet may qualify for an exemption.

Appeal an exemption decision

If a reporting organisation wishes to appeal a decision, officials should contact OZEV to discuss the case.

Record keeping

OZEV will maintain a record of all requests for exemptions from the commitment.

Records will be processed and held under the government security classifications policy.

Policy background

Domestic transport is the largest emitting sector in the UK. In 2022, the transport sector produced 28% of the UK’s total domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Road vehicles are the most significant source of emissions in the sector. Reducing these emissions by phasing out the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles is key to the government’s efforts to improve air quality and meet its legally binding climate obligations.

With a combined fleet of over 30,000 cars and vans, one of the largest owner-operator fleets in the UK, the government has an important role to play in leading the transition to zero emission vehicles. As part of this, the government has made a public commitment for 100% of the central government car and van fleet to be fully zero emission by the end of 2027.

The fleet commitment forms part of the wider greening government commitments (GGCs) reporting framework. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs administers the GGCs, while the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles retains policy ownership of the fleet commitment.

Advice and further information

For further information, contact the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles: gfc@dft.gov.uk.