Policy & Compliance
UK regulations for electric vans A look at the pros and cons of switching to electric vehicles as government regulations continue to change “ A derogation was announced ... which allows
a trailer on a Category B licence, as long as the total weight does not exceed 7 tonnes. This aligns the regulation for electric and internal combustion engine powered vehicles. Currently vans exceeding 3.5 tonnes fall into the scope of the assimilated drivers’ hours rules and therefore the assimilated tachograph rules apply. However, there is a national derogation exempting electric, natural gas or liquified gas powered goods vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes (inclusive) used to transport goods within a 62-mile (100 kilometre) radius of their base, from requiring a tachograph to be fitted. Between 24 December 2024 and 3 March 2025, the DfT ran a consultation on proposals to amend other regulations for ZE vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes. The main areas under consideration were: • Altering drivers’ hours and tachograph rules applicable to 3.5-4.25 tonne zero emission vans and • Proposed changes to the
S ome road freight operators have stated that they are not transitioning to Zero Emission (ZE) electric vehicles because they are subject to additional regulation compared with their Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) counterparts. In this article we look at the main changes that have been implemented and those that are proposed by the UK government. One of the issues with electric vehicles is that the batteries increase the vehicle weight significantly, in the case of vans by up to 800 kilos. This has caused considerable concern to many transport professionals as it means that vans exceeding the 3.5-tonne limit trigger the additional regulatory requirements for HGVs. Within the UK, for domestic transport only, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced a derogation on 25 June 2025 that allows drivers with a standard
Category B (car) driving licence to drive ZE vehicles of up to 4.25 tonnes. This applies only to zero emission electric vehicles and is intended to compensate for the additional weight of the batteries. This exemption does not apply to petrol or diesel vans, which remain capped at 3.5 tonnes. Additional entitlement Also, the announcement permits the driving of ZE vehicles using a Category B licence, without additional training. This removed the previous requirement for drivers to undertake five hours of additional training before handling the heavier vehicle. The additional entitlement to drive electric vehicles is automatic and is recorded on the driver’s licence. The prohibition on drivers of electric vans towing a trailer was also revoked. Drivers of such vehicles are now permitted to tow
drivers with a standard Category B (car) driving licence to drive ZE vehicles up to 4.25 tonnes. This applies only to zero emission electric vehicles...
16 | January 2026
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