The Government is bringing driving licence rules for heavier electric vans in line with their lighter petrol and diesel equivalents. 

The Department for Transport (DfT) has laid secondary legislation before Parliament today (Tuesday, February 25) to enable Standard category B licence holders to be able to drive zero-emission vehicles up to 4.25 tonnes, broadening the flexibility to cover all vehicle types, beyond goods vans. 

Accounting for the additional weight of the vehicle’s batteries, the rule change will apply to vans, minibuses, SUVs, trucks, and any vehicle that can be driven up to 3.5 tonnes if they are petrol and diesel. 

The additional five-hour training requirement for drivers will also be removed and it will make changes to towing allowances for electric vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes.

Subject to parliamentary approval the changes are expected to come into force in the spring.  

The weight limit for Category B driving licence holders driving alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs) was first increased from 3.5t to 4.25t in 2018.  

The previous Government had announced in October, 2023, that the additional five-hour training requirement for drivers would be removed for electric vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes.

It also promised to make changes to towing allowances and broaden the flexibility to cover all vehicle types, beyond goods vans, recognising that further measures were needed to support their uptake.

However, the new rules were not introduced before the General Election and fleets have been forced to wait for the new administration to table the legislation required.

The licence change was announced to coincide with an extension to the plug-in van grant, which means fleets will continue to benefit from up to £5,000 off an electric van until April 2026.

Source: Fleet News