The European Parliament voted on Tuesday to approve a ban on new sales of carbon-emitting petrol and diesel cars by 2035, clearing the final legislative hurdle.

EU member states have already approved the legislation and will now formally nod it into law, despite opposition from conservative MEPs, the parliament's biggest group.

The law passed the Strasbourg assembly by 340 votes to 279, with 21 abstentions.

The vote follows the unveiling last year of a European Commission plan to end the sale of vehicles with combustion engines by 2035 in Europe.

The measure, first proposed in July 2021, will mean a de facto halt to sales of petrol and diesel cars as well as light commercial vehicles and a complete shift to electric engines in the European Union.