Motor industry groups are calling for a bipartisan approach to import charges on high-emission vehicles, after the government confirmed it would retain Labour's Clean Vehicle Standard.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirmed the policy would not be scrapped on Friday. However, it has not yet decided on the new penalties it will enforce, saying it will work with the motor industry to develop settings that are "realistic and achievable".

Introduced by the previous government, the Clean Vehicle Standard charges importers a penalty for cars that exceed the target emissions level, but that can be offset by also importing cars with lower emissions.

Drive Electric chair Kirsten Corson said the industry was struggling to keep up with the "flip-flop jandal politics" surrounding the rules.

"What we're really calling for is a bipartisan approach so we can have strategic, long-term, consistent policies that send a really strong signal to the industry but also support [electric vehicle] uptake."

"At the moment, we've got flip-flop jandal politics where we're changing it every two or three years, which makes it super hard for the industry.

"An automotive importer is ordering their stock usually 12 months in advance. They need clear settings so that they can order the right stock."

But she said retaining a Clean Vehicle Standard was "the right call".

"If we were to abolish it ... that would be pretty embarrassing. Russia is the only other country [without it]."

However, she said some importers felt the penalties were "too weak".

Australia charges importers between $50 and $100 per gram of tailpipe emissions over the limit for new vehicles, compared to $15 in New Zealand since Bishop slashed the penalty by nearly 80 percent in November 2025.

At the time, Bishop said importers could not source enough low-emissions vehicles to avoid being penalised.

Corson hoped the government would consult with the whole industry, not just importers, on both new and used vehicle targets transparently.

Motor Trade Association chief executive Lee Marshall said they wanted the country to have the highest quality and most environmentally friendly vehicles possible.

"Before the 80 percent discount came into effect, there's no doubt the standard was too aggressive, too punitive.

"Even by this year's standards, the most fuel efficient, smallest hybrid vehicles in the market were not too far away from qualifying for a penalty. So we took the view it was unrealistic.

"I think [the Clean Vehicle Standard] is the right tool to use. What we'll be keen to see is that the standard applied is something that is aspirational but achievable rather than being idealistic."

Marshall said they were "mildly concerned" that the government had planned to conclude public consultation on the new targets in 2027, ahead of them taking effect from 1 January, 2028.

"Of course, there is an election in November and depending upon who ends up in power, they might have quite different attitudes to what the right number looks like.

"It would be great if we could get a cross-party consensus on this and stop transport being a political football. If we can get cross-party support on whatever those limits are, that will be great for the future of the auto industry."