12:02 pm, June 24, 2026
Autotrader expects the government to press on with proposed changes to the ZEV mandate but says questions remain about Andy Burnham’s electric vehicle strategy.
Car Dealer reported last week that Labour were planning on relaxing electric car targets after Kier Starmer overruled his Net Zero minister Ed Miliband and sided with business secretary Peter Kyle, who has been pushing for changes.
The proposals would see the requirement for 80% of new car sales to be fully electric by 2030 reduced to 50% but Starmer’s subsequent resignation as PM has raised questions about whether the changes will still go ahead.
Yesterday (Tues) Autotrader held its summer media briefing in London, taking questions from motor industry journalists.
Talk inevitably turned to the upcoming change in Number 10, with Andy Burnham expected to become PM following Starmer’s departure.
When asked his ascension to the top job will mean for the ZEV mandate, the firm said questions remain over how he will approach EV strategy.
Addressing journalists, Laura Harvey, director of communications & public affairs‘With a new Prime Minister, and there will be a new senior team as well, there will be a lot of change.
‘It’s really difficult because [Andy] Burnham hasn’t got a track record of any electric vehicle policy. Obviously he’s not been an MP for one but in Manchester he hasn’t had an EV strategy.
‘He did toy with the idea of a low emission zone – this was years ago when other cities like London, Bristol and Birmingham were thinking about it and following suit – but because of the backlash frankly, he said “Fine, I’ll focus on busses instead and I won’t touch cars.”
‘You can interpret that as you will, but now he’s got a different job, a different position and one can only imagine, knowing more broadly what he stands for – jobs and growth – I wouldn’t be surprised if the mandate changes.’
Autotrader to expand Buying Signals
In the same media briefing, Autotrader also revealed that it is planning to expand its Buying Signals product.
Bosses say the tool, aimed at helping dealers identify and prioritise the buyers most likely to convert interest into sales, has already enriched more than a million enquires since going live in late 2025.
Going forward, Autotrader plans to enhance the service further by offering more detailed insight into buyer demand before an enquiry is even made.
Future developments will use aggregated and anonymised data to offer earlier visibility of buyer interest, with the aim of allowing dealers to make make more informed stocking, pricing and lead management decisions.
The enhancements have been shaped through Autotrader’s Customer Advisory Groups, which launched in April, following the pushback from dealers in response to the controversial Deal Builder roll-out.
Speaking yesterday, Karolina Edwards-Smajda, chief product officer at Autotrader, told the media that the groups were leading to a ‘much smoother journey’ and said the firm remains ‘very open to be challenged and open to listening’.
She also added: ‘Buying Signals is a strong example of how we’re working in partnership with retailers to develop tools that reflect real-world forecourt needs.
‘Through our Customer Advisory Groups, we’re able to collaborate directly with partners to shape our roadmap and ensure we’re building solutions that genuinely support their businesses.
‘By combining that feedback with the UK’s most robust automotive dataset and technology, we’re enabling retailers to better understand demand, make more confident decisions and ultimately drive stronger performance, while ensuring they have the control and insight they need to maximise performance in a strong and increasingly competitive market.’
‘About dealers for dealers’
It was also revealed that Autotrader will be launching a new, dealer-focussed YouTube channel from July 1.
The channel, billed as being ‘about dealers for dealers’ will include weekly market updates and feature educational content and retailer-focused features, including a series highlighting the personal stories behind businesses in the motor trade.
Explaining the thinking behind the project, Marc Palmer, head of strategy & insights at Autotrader, said: ‘There are loads of really positive stories that people should hear about in the car industry that they don’t often hear about.
‘It’s really important that we use the platform that we’ve got to share stories like that.
‘There are loads of really positive stories that people should hear about in the car industry and the things that some of those businesses are doing for their local communities are not often talked about, so this can be a platform for some of those things to be made more public and more visible.’
Main picture by: Peter Byrne/PA Wire/PA Images
