The UK government has announced proposed changes to driving licence regulations to facilitate the adoption of electric vans by removing the requirement for additional training and aligning towing rules with those of diesel and petrol vehicles. The changes, confirmed by the Department for Transport (DfT) on 25 February 2025, have been laid before Parliament and are subject to parliamentary approval. If approved, they are expected to come into force in spring 2025.
Currently, drivers with a standard Category B licence (car licence) must complete five hours of additional training to operate an electric van weighing up to 4.25 tonnes. This requirement, which does not apply to 3.5-tonne diesel or petrol vans, is due to the additional weight of electric vehicle batteries. The proposed regulations would eliminate this training requirement, allowing Category B licence holders to drive 4.25-tonne electric vans under the same conditions as their diesel counterparts.
Additionally, towing regulations would be aligned, meaning that electric vans would have the same towing capacity as equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
According to the government, these proposed changes are intended to remove barriers to zero-emission vehicle adoption, reducing administrative and financial burdens for businesses and fleet operators.
Logistics UK, a trade association representing the freight and logistics industry, has welcomed the proposal.
Chris Yarsley, Senior Policy Manager for Road Freight Regulation at Logistics UK, stated:
“Removing the need for additional training to operate electric vans and aligning towing regulations with equivalent sized ICE vans will help our members, and the industry in general, integrate zero-emission vehicles into their fleets. It is the first step to achieving full regulatory alignment between 4.25-tonne electric vans and 3.5-tonne diesel vans, which Logistics UK, as part of the Zero Emission Van Plan coalition, has long been campaigning for, and will speed up the adoption of electric vehicles.”
The trade body has argued that the current rules create unnecessary cost and complexity for operators looking to transition to electric vehicles.
There are currently over five million vans on UK roads, with one in ten workers relying on them for their jobs. If approved, the government’s changes are expected to make it easier for businesses to integrate electric vans into their fleets while maintaining operational flexibility.