The UK government has updated driving license rules to align regulations for heavier electric vans with those for lighter petrol and diesel vehicles. This change will enable drivers with a standard category B license to operate zero-emission vehicles weighing up to 4.25 tonnes. This adjustment applies to all vehicle types beyond goods vans.
The revised rules recognize the increased weight of electric vehicle batteries, impacting vans, minibuses, SUVs, and trucks, as well as petrol and diesel vehicles. The change also eliminates the requirement for an additional five hours of training and alters towing allowances for electric vans up to 4.25 tonnes.
A spokesperson for the Zero Emission Van Plan commented on these developments, stating, “Vans are the workhorses of the UK economy and growing their share of the UK vehicle parc every year. For the UK to deliver cleaner, greener road transport solutions, the van sector needs to be front of mind. It is encouraging to see policymakers starting to take the transition to zero-emission vans more seriously.” The spokesperson added that “Today marks a positive step forward but there remains a long way to go. Electric van registrations are far short of where they need to be, a host of regulatory barriers remain.”
“We have been in constant contact with decision makers to reinforce the case for vans. The ongoing consultation, into the need for further regulatory flexibilities, presents another key milestone where we need to see positive progress. It is good to see the Government taking action. Now we must make sure we accelerate further and faster.”
Chris Yarsley, senior policy manager for road freight regulation at Logistics UK, said, “Removing the need for additional training to operate electric vans and aligning towing regulations with equivalent sized ICE (internal combustion engine) vans will help our members, and the industry in general, integrate zero emission vehicles into their fleets.”
“It is the first step to achieving the full regulatory alignment between 4.25 tonne electric vans and 3.5 tonne diesel vans, which Logistics UK as part of the Zero Emission Van Plan coalition has long been campaigning for, and will speed up the adoption of electric vehicles,” Yarsley continued. “The current situation, where 4.25 tonne electric vans are treated differently to their ICE counterparts is nonsensical and is limiting the use of cleaner electric vehicles. The vehicles are the same size and perform the same tasks as traditional vans: it is only the extra weight from the batteries which moves them into a heavier weight category with additional regulations.”
