More than 60 large companies make a distress call to the EU – They fear that the electric car mandate will turn against them

Car giants BMW and Toyota, as well as major players in the car rental and leasing sectors, have sent a letter to the European Commission in which they demand that mandatory electric car acquisition targets not be set for companies’ fleets, says Automotive News Europe.

The petition is related to the EU’s future set of proposals, which the Commission is scheduled to announce on December 16. The package is expected to bring more flexibility to the car industry to achieve carbon dioxide emission targets and possibly ease the ban on the sale of new combustion engine cars coming into effect in 2035.

The new policies also apply to company fleets, such as company cars. Company cars are a critical segment for the market, as they make up around 50–60 percent of all new car sales in the EU.

In Finland, the figure is at the same level: company cars account for about a quarter of the first registrations in 2025, and in total the cars purchased by companies are 48 percent, i.e. almost half of new passenger cars, says Automotive information center.

Concerns about costs and the charging network

To the chairman of the commission Ursula von der Leyenille and in a letter addressed to other commissioners, 67 signatories named high acquisition and operating costs and insufficient charging infrastructure as the biggest obstacles to the spread of electric cars.

According to the signatories, a mandatory goal would be “extremely damaging”. The letter warns that the high costs would leave companies with only two bad options: either keep old, more polluting vehicles in use for longer, or significantly reduce the purchase of new vehicles.

Instead of compulsion, the companies suggest that the fastest way to increase sales of electric cars is a combination of incentives and investments in the charging network.

Industry players are calling for subsidies for the used electric car market as well. This is important for leasing companies, as many leased cars are often sold on after only two or three years of use.

In addition to the car giants, among the signatories were BNP Paribas’ leasing company Arval, Société Générale’s Ayvens, Avis, Bolt and Hertz, as well as several national rental and leasing associations.

Opposing views and hard lobbying

However, not all parties oppose mandatory goals. The campaign organization Climate Group supports binding electrification goals and points out that more than 120 large companies – including EDF, Ikea, Siemens and Unilever – have already committed to switching to fully electric fleets.

The release of the EU car package has been delayed by a week from the original schedule, and there has been fierce lobbying around it.

According to current plans, the EU would only allow the sale of zero-emission new cars after 2035, which would practically ban gasoline and diesel models. European car manufacturers demand more flexibility in regulation. They hope, among other things, to allow the sale of plug-in hybrids and cars running on carbon-neutral electric fuels (e-fuels) even after the deadline.

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