Gasoline Vehicle Phaseout Advances Around The World
Learn about gas car bans and ICE bans around the world. Plus learn what US states plan to ban gas cars by 2035.
The European Union is phasing out new gas car sales by 2035, and many other countries and regions - including 11 US states - have announced official targets or similar plans.
A gasoline vehicle phaseout is sometimes called an internal combustion engine ban, or ICE ban. Many countries are planning to ban sales of new diesel vehicles in addition to new gasoline powered cars.
The long list of countries planning to ban sales of new fossil fuel vehicles shows a growing trend of countries moving beyond gasoline to cleaner, cheaper alternatives.
The latest gasoline car phaseout advances by almost 50 countries – including gas car bans and diesel car bans – can be found below.
Governments with official target dates for 100% of new car sales to be Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) – Source
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World Gasoline Phaseouts
1. All 27 European Union (EU) countries have committed to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel cars by 2035. These countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
2. 13 non-EU countries have signed onto A.2 of the COP26 declaration committing to all new cars being zero emissions by 2040. These countries are Azerbaijan, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, El Salvador, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, the Holy See, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay.
3. China (including Hong Kong and Macao) plans to make all new vehicles sold in 2035 "eco-friendly".
4. Egypt has a plan for no gas-fueled cars by 2040.
5. Ethiopia is the first country to try to ban ICE vehicles now - a decision was made that automobiles cannot enter Ethiopia unless they are electric ones.
6. Indonesia announced plans for all motorcycles sold from 2040 to be electric-powered, while all new cars sold from 2050 will be electric vehicles
7. Japan plans to ban sales of new gas cars (except hybrids) by 2035.
8. Malaysia has a net-zero emissions target by 2050.
7. Singapore has announced plans to ban registration of internal combustion cars and taxis by 2030 and phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2040.
8. South Korea plans to phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2035.
9. Sri Lanka is going a step further with a full road ban for combustion engine cars, tuk-tuks and motorcycles by 2040
10. Taiwan has announced a plan to phase out internal combustion vehicles by 2040.
11. Thailand has set a target for 2035 to make all new vehicles electric.
12. Vietnam has a target that all means of transportation run on green energy by 2050
These 14 countries are also working towards accelerated proliferation and adoption of zero-emission vehicles: Armenia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan Paraguay, Rwanda, Türkiye and Ukraine.
United States Gasoline Phaseout Advances
The United States does not have a nationwide gas car phaseout date. However, in 2021, President Biden set a goal for 50% of new car sales to be electric by 2030.
New, more stringent fuel economy standards for model year 2027 to 2032 US vehicles proposed by the EPA in April 2023 would essentially require 67% of new vehicles to be electric by 2032.
For US government vehicles, there is also an executive order for all new light-duty vehicles added to the government fleet to be 100% zero emissions by 2027 and all government-owned vehicles will be replaced with all-electric cars by 2035-2040.
While the US has not yet joined the many countries setting phaseout date, multiple states have committed to follow California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (“ACC II”) regulation to end sales of new gas cars by 2035. Read more below.
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Gasoline Car Phaseout In California
California’s ACC II requires that all new passenger cars, trucks, and light duty vehicles sold in California be zero emissions by 2035. ACC II amends California’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Regulation to require automakers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles each year.
These amendments support Governor Newsom’s 2020 Executive Order N-79-20 that requires all new passenger vehicles sold in California to be zero emissions by 2035.
Learn more about the gas car phaseout in California.
The percent of new vehicles that must be zero emissions each year under ACC II is as follows:
11 US States With Plans To Ban Gas-Powered Cars By 2035
Following California’s lead, Vermont, New York, Washington and Oregon adopted a program called Advanced Clean Cars II (“ACC II”) in 2022. ACC II requires automakers to sell a rising percentage of EVs, going to 100% by 2035, or pay penalties.
In March 2023, Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced Maryland's plan to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035, stating, “It’s a major step in the state’s acceleration to improve air quality and combat the effects of climate change.”
Massachusetts adopted ACC II in 2023.
On May 10th, 2023, Governor Dan McKee announced plans for Rhode Island to adopt ACC II.
In October 2023, Colorado adopted the Colorado Clean Cars Standard, but this only requires 82% of new cars to be zero-emissions vehicles by 2032 – it does not go all the way to the 100% zero emissions requirement by 2035. In November 2023, Delaware similarly finalized rules that would require 82% of new cars to be zero-emissions vehicles in 2032, but officials have not adopted a 100% by 2035 requirement.
New Jersey and New Mexico became the latest US states to pledge to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered cars.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the state will set annual targets for the sale of new zero-emission vehicles, and New Mexico may adopt parts of Advanced Clean Cars II. However, New Mexico has not adopted the 2035 100% Zero Emission Vehicles requirement. Rather, the rules "do not prohibit the sale or ownership of new or used gasoline-powered vehicles," according to a spokesperson for Lujan Grisham.
The District of Columbia also adopted the California Vehicle Emission Standards in December 2023.
Washington State not only joined ACC II, but has gone a step further. It has enacted a law (see page 88) setting a target of 2030 for all new cars to be electric, with a mandate for all-of-government planning to meet the target. 2030 is the earliest date in the nation for a state to phase out sales of new gas cars.
Gasoline phaseout policy discussions are ongoing or have partially passed in Minnesota, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
United States Gasoline Phaseout Map
Gasoline Superuser Approach Note
While these state-level bans on sales of new gas cars help ensure an eventual end to gasoline use, they don’t go far enough. New cars are typically only around 6% of total cars on the road. Even if 100% of new cars are electric, we will still have many older gas cars on the road for a long time. More must be done to cut gasoline use and vehicle emissions faster.
To maximize gasoline reduction, we must help those drivers using the most gasoline (“Gasoline Superusers”) switch to EVs as soon as possible. Across the US, Gasoline Superusers are using one third of all the gasoline – often because they must commute long distances between the housing they can afford and their jobs. Learn more about Coltura’s gasoline superuser approach.
Coltura’s report, "Country Crossroads," published in 2024, sheds light on the hidden challenges faced by "rural Gasoline Superusers" — a small subset of rural drivers who, despite comprising less than 4% of the US population, account for nearly 13% of the nation's gasoline consumption.
Learn from our free webinar about how the gasoline superuser approach can help reduce vehicle emissions faster and more equitably.
Learn more about the life cycle harms of gasoline.
Join Coltura
Coltura’s goal is to phase out sales of new gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030.
Our vision is a gasoline-free America, by 2040 or sooner.
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