Long-awaited changes to UK driving licence rules take effect today, 10 June, allowing category B licence holders (a car driving licence holder) to drive electric vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes without the need for additional training.

The rule change also applies more broadly to other zero-emission vehicle types, such as electric minibuses, SUVs, and trucks, that fall within the 3.5-tonne limit when powered by combustion engines.

Importantly, the new rules acknowledge the extra weight introduced by battery-electric drivetrains, offering operators greater flexibility when specifying or deploying zero-emission vehicles.

Under the revised Regulation 7 of the Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999, drivers can operate “a zero-emission vehicle of a class that would be included within category B but for its maximum authorised mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes, provided that it is not a mobile project vehicle and has a maximum authorised mass … not exceeding 4.25 tonnes”.

The update also covers towing limits, with electric van and trailer combinations now allowed up to 7 tonnes, provided the trailer’s maximum authorised mass (MAM) does not exceed 3.5 tonnes.

For example, if an electric van has a MAM of 4,250kg, the trailer must not exceed 2,750kg. The trailer’s MAM must also remain under 3,500kg, in line with standard towing rules. Drivers who passed their test before 1 January 1997 continue to benefit from higher combined limits of up to 8.25 tonnes.

The increased weight allowance for zero-emission vans was initially introduced as a temporary measure in 2018. Today’s updates make the change permanent.

Your existing photocard driving licence remains valid — there’s no need to update it or apply for a new one to take advantage of these new rules.

Further legislative updates are expected to follow, with the Department for Transport reviewing regulations around tachograph use, annual testing, drivers’ hours, and speed limiter devices for zero-emission vans above 3.5 tonnes.

While the new rules remove training and licensing barriers, 4.25-tonne electric vans are still subject to annual HGV-style MOT tests after one year, and most remain within scope for tachograph and drivers’ hours regulations, unless operating within a 62-mile radius for specific purposes. The government is consulting on further aligning these requirements with lighter vans, but no changes have yet been enacted.

Despite strong growth in the electric van sector, with registrations rising 77.5% year-over-year in April, vans weighing more than 3.5 tonnes still account for a small fraction of the market. Of 1,731 electric LCVs registered in May, just 76 (4.4%) were in the 3.5 to 4.25-tonne category.

Phil Huff
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