MOT reforms cut red tape for heavy vans
The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that changes to electric van MOT rules will come into effect from 1 June.
The new rules will mean electric vans weighing between 3.5 tonnes and 4.25 tonnes will be tested under Class 7 MOT requirements rather than the tougher HGV rules.
This brings electric vans in line with equivalent diesel vans and means that they will require their first MOT three years after registration rather than after one year.
The shift also means lower MOT test cost for operators and easier access to testing facilities. It also removes the tachograph requirement for electric vans up to 4.25 tonnes.
Large electric vans have fallen under the same testing regime as small HGVs due to the additional weight of the drive battery, despite the fact they do the same job as diesel or hybrid panel vans of a similar size.
This has led to increased costs and complexity for operators but the DfT said last November that it would change the requirements following a consultation. However, it has taken until May 2026 for it to confirm the start date for the new regime.
Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister Keir Mather said that businesses “will no longer face unnecessary red tape when they make the switch, cutting costs, reducing bureaucracy and driving growth up and down the country.”
The move has been welcomed by van operators around the country.
Logistics UK chief executive Ben Fletcher, said: “Electric vans have faced disproportionate regulatory burdens up to now, and been subject to different rules to their conventionally-fuelled counterparts. The new regulations correct the nonsensical situation that saw standard size electric vans treated as HGVs when it came to MOTs, driver hours requirements and mandatory tachograph use.”
Lee O’Neill, operations director at Venson Automotive Solutions said the change was a pragmatic one that removed a major obstacle to wider electric van update.
He commented: “The previous testing framework placed unnecessary administrative and financial burdens on businesses operating heavier electric vans, despite these vehicles being fundamentally equivalent to their internal combustion engine counterparts, with battery weight being the only differentiating factor.
“Bringing 3.5 to 4.25 tonne electric vans into the Class 7 MOT system removes a major obstacle to adoption and sends a strong signal that Government is listening to the practical challenges businesses face when transitioning to zero-emission fleets.”
