The expected delay in the ban on conventionally fuelled new cars could put drivers off switching to electric motoring, an automotive industry leader has warned.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said the policy change will cause “concern” among car makers.

It has been widely reported that the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans will be pushed back from 2030 to 2035.

Mr Hawes told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that high demand for electric cars within the UK is needed if more are to be built in the country.

He said: “You want to build close to where you sell, so you need a strong market here in the UK to help secure future investment.

“The concern now is, does this cause consumers to delay their purchase?”

Mr Hawes, who is a key figure representing car makers in the UK, said he had heard “nothing” from ministers in the previous 24 hours.

SMMT figures show the private share of the market for battery electric new cars has already fallen from more than a third (36.2%) in the first half of 2022 to less than a quarter (24.2%) during the same period this year.

Demand has grown for fleet registrations, partly due to the lower company car tax for electric cars.

Mr Hawes said he was “assured” on Monday that the zero emission vehicles mandate – a requirement for manufacturers to increase the proportion of new cars and vans they sell that are zero emission – will still be introduced.

It is due to be implemented from the beginning of next year.

Mr Hawes said: “We’re trying to understand what is going to happen next between this sort of statement (on the 2030 ban) and that policy, and the message it sends consumers which must be incredibly confusing.”

Ian Plummer, commercial director at online vehicle marketplace Auto Trader, said: “Pushing back the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel sales by five years is a hugely retrograde step which puts politics ahead of net zero goals.

“This U-turn will cause a huge headache for manufacturers, who are crying out for clarity and consistency, and it is hardly going to encourage the vast majority of drivers who are yet to buy an electric car to make the switch.

“Rather than grasp the challenge and use the tax system to ease concerns over affordability, the Prime Minister has taken the easy option with one eye on polling day.”

But Tory MP for Lincoln Karl McCartney described Rishi Sunak’s reported plans as “the common-sense decision”.

He said the “costs to normal drivers will be too high” if the 2030 ban is maintained.

He added: “The only people who will complain about this delay are the central London eco-zealots who do not live in the real world and are rich enough not to be affected.”