New regulations aligning operational rules for electric and diesel vans have been signed into law, with the changes due to come into force on 1 June 2026.
The updated rules will standardise the treatment of 4.25-tonne electric vans and 3.5-tonne diesel vans, removing a range of additional requirements previously applied to electric vehicles because of their heavier battery weight.
Under the previous framework, many electric vans were treated as HGVs for requirements including MOT testing, tachograph use and driver hours regulations, despite operating in the same way as standard diesel vans. Logistics UK said the rules had created unnecessary complexity and additional costs for operators attempting to decarbonise fleets.
Ben Fletcher, chief executive at Logistics UK, 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, unless they were operated under tight geographical restrictions.
“It is only the extra weight from the batteries that moved electric vans into the same category as HGVs and this has limited the adoption of cleaner electric vehicles by creating cost and complexity for operators looking to decarbonise their fleets.”
Fletcher added that the changes would give operators greater confidence to invest in electric vans by removing administrative and compliance barriers.
Logistics UK said it would continue working with the Zero-Emission Van Plan coalition to push for further fiscal support measures to encourage electric van adoption across the logistics sector.
