Citation, commencement and extent

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Goods Vehicles (Testing, Drivers’ Hours and Tachographs etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and come into force on the twenty-first day after the day on which they are made.

(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981

2.—(1) The Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981(4) are amended as follows.

(2) At the end of paragraph (1) of regulation 3 (interpretation), insert—

““zero-emission vehicle” means a vehicle without an internal combustion engine, or with an internal combustion engine that has emissions of CO₂ of zero grams per kilometre”.

(3) In regulation 5 (classification of vehicles and application of Regulations)—

(a)in paragraph (1), for sub-paragraph (j), substitute—

“(j)Class VII: Goods vehicles—

(i)in EU category N1 of which the design gross weight exceeds 3,000 kilograms but does not exceed 3,500 kilograms; and

(ii)in EU category N2—

(aa)of which the design gross weight exceeds 3,500 kilograms but does not exceed 4,250 kilograms, and

(bb)which are zero-emission vehicles;”;

(b)in paragraph (6), in sub-paragraph (b), for “and N1” substitute “N1 and N2”.

(4) In regulation 6 (exemptions), in paragraph (1), in sub-paragraph (v), for “3500 kilograms” substitute “3,500 kilograms, excluding a zero-emission vehicle the design gross weight of which exceeds 3,500 kilograms but does not exceed 4,250 kilograms”.

Amendment of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

3.—(1) The (Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 19865) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 3 (interpretation), in paragraph (2), in the table, after the definition of “works truck” insert—

(3) In regulation 27 (condition and maintenance of tyres)—

(a)in paragraph (1A), in sub-paragraph (c), for paragraph (ii), substitute—

“(ii)goods vehicles—

(aa)which are not zero-emission vehicles, with a maximum gross weight exceeding 3,500 kg, or

(bb)which are zero-emission vehicles, with a maximum gross weight exceeding 4,250 kg.”;

(b)in paragraph (4), in sub-paragraph (e), for paragraph (ii), substitute—

“(ii)goods vehicles—

(aa)with a maximum gross weight which does not exceed 3,500 kg, or

(bb)which are zero-emission vehicles with a maximum gross weight over 3,500 kg but not exceeding 4,250 kg; and”;

(c)in paragraph (4), in sub-paragraph (e), in paragraph (iii), for “sub-paragraph (ii)” substitute “sub-paragraph (ii)(aa)”.

Amendment of the Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1988

4.—(1) The (Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 19886) are amended as follows.

(2) At the end of paragraph (1) of regulation 3 (interpretation), insert—

““zero-emission vehicle” means a goods vehicle without an internal combustion engine, or with an internal combustion engine that has emissions of CO₂ of zero grams per kilometre”.

(3) In Schedule 2, after paragraph 40, insert—

“41. Zero-emission vehicles the design gross weight of which exceeds 3,500 kilograms but does not exceed 4,250 kilograms.”.

Amendment of the Community Drivers’ Hours and Recording Equipment Regulations 2007

5.—(1) The Community (Drivers’ Hours and Recording Equipment Regulations 20077) are amended as follows.

(2) In the Schedule (exempted vehicles)(8), for paragraph 6, substitute—

“6.—(1) Any zero-emission vehicle which is used by an undertaking for the carriage of goods and has a maximum permissible mass, including the mass of any trailer or semi-trailer drawn by it, exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 4.25 tonnes.

(2) Any vehicle, not being a zero-emission vehicle to which paragraph 6(1) applies, which—

(a)is used by an undertaking for the carriage of goods within a 100 kilometre radius from where the undertaking is based,

(b)is propelled by means of natural or liquefied gas or electricity, and

(c)has a maximum permissible mass, including the mass of any trailer or semi-trailer drawn by it, not exceeding 7.5 tonnes.

(3) For the purposes of this paragraph, “zero-emission vehicle” means a vehicle without an internal combustion engine, or with an internal combustion engine that has emissions of CO₂ of zero grams per kilometre.”.

Review

6.—(1) The Secretary of State must from time to time—

(a)carry out a review of the regulatory provision contained in these Regulations, and

(b)publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review.

(2) The first report must be published before the end of five years beginning with the date on which these Regulations come into force.

(3) Subsequent reports must be published at intervals not exceeding five years.

(4) Section 30(4) of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015(9) requires that a report published under this regulation must, in particular—

(a)set out the objectives intended to be achieved by the regulatory provision referred to in paragraph (1)(a);

(b)assess the extent to which those objectives are achieved;

(c)assess whether those objectives remain appropriate;

(d)if those objectives remain appropriate, assess the extent to which they could be achieved in another way which involves less onerous regulatory provision.

(5) In this regulation , “ regulatory provision ” has the same meaning as in sections 28 to 32 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (see section 32 of that Act ).