Electric vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes will no longer be treated like HGVs for testing and tachograph rules in Great Britain from 1 June, after the government signed into law changes designed to remove one of the practical barriers to fleet electrification.
The reform applies to zero-emission goods vehicles with a maximum authorised mass of more than 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 4.25 tonnes. According to the Department for Transport’s explanatory memorandum, the aim is to align these vehicles with equivalent petrol and diesel vans of 3.5 tonnes or less, rather than pulling them into heavier vehicle rules simply because of battery weight.
The biggest practical change is in vehicle testing. The new regulations remove 3.5–4.25-tonne zero-emission goods vehicles from the heavy vehicle testing regime and move them into the Class 7 MOT system.
That means the first roadworthiness test will be due three years after first registration, rather than after one year, and then annually after that. The DfT says this brings the testing interval into line with other vehicles in the MOT system.
There is also a tyre rule change: the minimum tread depth requirement for these vehicles will move from 1.0mm to 1.6mm, matching the Class 7 MOT standard.
Tachograph requirement removed The regulations also change the drivers’ hours and tachograph position for larger electric vans. Until now, many zero-emission vans above 3.5 tonnes fell under assimilated drivers’ hours rules, because those rules apply to goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes, including trailers. Vehicles in scope also had to comply with tachograph requirements.
The new instrument takes zero-emission goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes and up to 4.25 tonnes out of those assimilated rules, removing the tachograph requirement for this category with no limit on distance travelled. Operators will instead fall under GB domestic drivers’ hours rules.
The previous framework already included a derogation for certain gas or electric goods vehicles used within a 100 km radius of base. The change removes that distance restriction for the 3.5–4.25-tonne zero-emission van category.
Battery weight pushed vans into stricter rules The DfT says zero-emission goods vehicles are often heavier than petrol or diesel equivalents because of the battery or other zero-emission technology. In many cases, these vehicles perform the same functions and have a similar appearance and load capacity to 3.5-tonne vans, but the additional battery weight pushes them above the threshold for stricter rules.
The department says stakeholders had warned that the separate regulatory framework acted as a disincentive to using these vehicles, particularly in mixed fleets where electric and diesel vans were carrying out similar work under different compliance regimes.
The 4.25-tonne upper limit was chosen because it reflects the likely additional weight of a zero-emission powertrain compared with a petrol or diesel equivalent, and matches earlier UK driving licence flexibility for heavier zero-emission vehicles.
The 4.25-tonne problem is not only British The UK move follows a wider regulatory debate around heavier electric vans in Europe. Trans.INFO reported in 2018 that the Netherlands was preparing exemptions for zero-emission goods vehicles up to 4.25 tonnes, allowing them to operate without tachographs and with category B licences, provided drivers completed an additional five-hour course. The measure was backed by Dutch transport association TLN, which argued that the rules would help operators invest in electric vehicles and ease pressure caused by the shortage of category C drivers.
The same 4.25-tonne threshold has also appeared in EU-level plans. As Trans.INFO reported in November 2025, the European Commission was preparing proposals to exempt certain electric vans between 3.5 and 4.25 tonnes from smart tachograph and 90 km/h speed limiter requirements where the move from N1 to N2 category is caused only by the additional weight of the battery.
The British rules therefore put Great Britain ahead of the EU legislative process, but in line with the same basic policy logic: electric vans should not face heavier compliance rules solely because the battery pushes them above 3.5 tonnes.
Logistics UK: ‘long overdue’ Logistics UK said the change was confirmed on 12 May and would come into force on 1 June 2026.
Ben Fletcher, chief executive of Logistics UK, said the new regulations “correct the nonsensical situation” in which standard-size electric vans were treated as HGVs for MOTs, drivers’ hours requirements and mandatory tachograph use unless operated under tight geographical restrictions.
“It is only the extra weight from the batteries that moved electric vans into the same category as HGVs, and this has limited the adoption of cleaner electric vehicles by creating cost and complexity for operators looking to decarbonise their fleets,” Fletcher said.
Electrive reported that the reforms follow years of lobbying by fleet and logistics organisations, including calls under the Zero Emission Van Plan to remove regulatory barriers affecting heavier electric vans.
Safety concerns raised in consultation The reform was not uncontroversial. In its consultation response, the DfT said some respondents raised road safety concerns, particularly around the removal of tachograph and assimilated drivers’ hours requirements.
The department said it would monitor post-implementation collision rates and consider further action if evidence suggested that the change was affecting safety.
The regulations apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland is not included in the territorial application of the instrument.
