Driving licence changes launching TOMORROW will impact millions of UK motorists – are you affected?
From June 10, drivers across the UK with a standard Category B licence – the regular car licence – will be allowed to drive zero-emission vehicles weighing up to 4,250kg.
That's 750kg more than the current limit and means millions of drivers across the UK will now be able to legally drive an electric van or small truck that would previously have required a higher licence category.
The rule change is aimed at making it easier for people and businesses to switch to greener vehicles, which often weigh more due to large battery packs or hydrogen fuel systems.
A typical medium-sized electric delivery van or passenger minibus can weigh close to 4,250kg, especially when fitted with extra equipment.
This marks a significant increase from the current 3,500kg limit and is expected to support the growing shift towards greener transport options.
A Category B licence is issued to anyone who has passed a standard car driving test.
It typically allows motorists to drive vehicles up to 3,500kg MAM with up to eight passenger seats.
Drivers can also tow a trailer weighing up to 3,500kg, depending on their entitlement.
Those who passed their test before 1 January 1997 usually have additional permissions, such as driving heavier vehicles and trailers with a combined MAM of up to 8,250kg.
They may also be permitted to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kg.
Under the new rules, drivers with a Category B licence will be allowed to operate electric or hydrogen cars and vans up to 4,250kg.
Vehicles that have specialist equipment fitted to support disabled passengers may weigh up to 5,000kg, as long as the extra weight is due to that equipment.
The changes will also allow motorists to drive electric or hydrogen-powered minibuses under the same weight conditions.
While these changes expand the scope of vehicles that can be driven, they will not require any updates to the physical photocard licence.
The entitlements will be applied automatically and recognised without a new card being issued.
However, motorists are encouraged to check their driving licence information online to understand exactly what they are now allowed to drive.
The updated allowances will apply to typical Category B vehicles, including cars, SUVs, small trucks and vans.
With the heavier battery technology used in many zero-emission vehicles, the Government hopes these changes will make it easier for individuals and businesses to transition to electric transport.
The new rules also provide greater flexibility for towing.
Drivers will be allowed to tow a trailer as long as the combined MAM of the vehicle and trailer does not exceed 7,000kg.
For instance, if the vehicle weighs 4,250kg, the trailer must be no more than 2,750kg.
These adjustments are particularly beneficial for tradespeople and those transporting goods or equipment who are looking to use zero-emission alternatives.
Although more people will now be permitted to tow trailers, officials have stressed the importance of road safety.
Drivers must ensure they are comfortable with the size and handling of their vehicle and trailer, especially under these new weight limits.
Before setting off, checks should be made on the tow ball, electrical connections, wheels, tyres, lights and the load being carried.
The DVSA has issued guidance, warning: 'When driving, you should understand how to safely manoeuvre the vehicle and trailer.
"If the trailer starts to snake or swerve, ease off the accelerator and reduce your speed gently.
"Do not brake harshly on a bend, as it makes the trailer unstable.'
The Government offers an online service for checking your driving entitlements and what restrictions may apply.
It's especially important for anyone unsure about their rights, particularly if they passed their driving test before licensing rules changed in 1997.
Drivers in Northern Ireland should note that licence categories may differ slightly and should check regional guidance.
The changes come at a time when the UK is encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles to meet its net zero targets.
By removing barriers to operating heavier zero-emission vehicles, officials hope to support both private drivers and businesses in the switch away from petrol and diesel.
Although the changes do not affect all vehicle categories, they mark a key step in modernising licence entitlements in line with today's vehicle technology.
2
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
28 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton frustrated by ‘extreme' Spa rain call
On Thursday evening in the Ardennes hundreds of team members from various series, drivers, journalists and assorted others gathered on the track at Spa-Francorchamps to 'Run for Anthoine'. The annual event is organised by the Alpine driver Pierre Gasly in memory of his close friend Anthoine Hubert, who died in 2019, at the age of just 22, after a multi-car collision in a wet feature Formula 2 race at Spa. Hubert is far from the only driver to lose his life at the notoriously fast circuit, which is frequently subject to torrential rain. Just four years after his death, Dutch teenager Dilano van 't Hoff was also killed in similar wet conditions. In total there have been 53 fatalities, including the deaths of four marshals, since Spa's opening in 1924. All of which goes a long way to explaining why race control erred on the side of caution when weighing up when to pull the trigger on Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, which was immediately preceded by torrential rain. To call that caution excessive, however, would be an understatement. For the thousands of bedraggled fans watching from the grandstands, most of whom camp close by in the days leading up to the race, the delay was hugely frustrating. Earlier, they had watched a very entertaining F2 race in similarly damp conditions. Everyone was excited by the prospect of witnessing the world's best drivers try to negotiate the treacherous Spa circuit in the wet. Millions more watching on television probably gave up and went and did something else. The Fagnes chicane proved to be a challenge in our Feature Race at Spa! 👀 #F2 #BelgianGP — Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 27, 2025 It was not a bad call. In the end, what we got was a pretty dull affair. By the time the race finally got under way, behind a safety car, 1hr 20min after the official start time, the track was rapidly drying. Race control still left the safety car out for four laps to clear more of the standing water, with the result that there was a dry line already visible. Race-winner Oscar Piastri needed just four race laps to consider switching to dry tyres and within eight laps of actual racing all the drivers were on slicks, and from then on it was processional. What did the drivers think? Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who have 11 F1 world titles between them, were firmly of the opinion that the race could have started on time at 3pm. 'It was not even raining by then,' Verstappen pointed out. 'OK there was quite a bit of [standing] water between Turns 1 and 5, but two laps behind the safety car then it would have been a lot more clear. So it's a bit of a shame. 'We [Red Bull] made a choice with the set-up for wet weather and then they only allowed us to drive in almost slick conditions! We spoke after [the recent wet-weather race at] Silverstone to be a little bit cautious with the decisions but this was at the other extreme for me.' Hamilton agreed the race could have started on time, although he did say the drivers had to take some of the responsibility following those post-Silverstone chats. Race control was listening to the drivers' feedback as they lapped behind the safety car and nearly all of them, especially those at the back, were complaining it was unsafe. 'Lots of drivers in the last race said we shouldn't have restarted, because of a lack of visibility. So as soon as someone said 'visibility is pretty bad'...it wasn't great but it wasn't as bad as the last race… I think they just waited. 'They still did a good job. Of course we did miss some of the extreme wet-weather racing, which would have been nice.' Fans short-changed No one is saying it is an easy call. Spa is a notoriously dangerous circuit, with an extremely dangerous section between T1 (La Source) and T7 (Les Combes). The drivers go through a compression at Eau Rouge and then up a steep incline on the other side, exiting onto a blind crest onto the Kemmel Straight. Although changes were made following Hubert's death, and there is now more run-off on the left-hand side of Eau Rouge and Raidillon in particular, with the barriers moved back quite significantly, it is still possible for cars to go off, hit the barrier and bounce back onto the racing line. George Russell was probably in the majority of drivers who felt race control got it right. The Mercedes driver, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers Association, said it would have been 'stupidity' to begin the race any earlier. 'As a racer, you always want to get going, you love driving in the rain, but the fact is, when you're doing over 200 miles an hour out of Eau Rouge, you literally can't see anything,' Russell said. 'You may as well have a blindfold on. It isn't racing, it's just stupidity. 'So I think, considering it was clearly going to be dry from four o'clock onwards, I think they made the right call.' But an element of danger and risk is also part and parcel of Formula One. Fans were denied what could have been an exciting race on Sunday. If the Spa circuit needs further modifications to make it safer, fine, but they surely ought to be able to race in the wet. Ex-driver Karun Chandhok spoke for millions when he posted on social media a few minutes before the restart: 'Have we just given up on having wet races anymore? They're going to be on slicks in a few minutes!' He was absolutely right.
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
McLaughlin wins at Zandvoort to extend F4 lead
Red Bull Junior driver Fionn McLaughlin boosted his British F4 title hopes after a strong weekend at claimed pole position and won the final race of the weekend in the 17-year-old controlled the final race of the weekend despite a number of stoppages and interruptions for crashes behind and he took the chequered flag for his third victory of the Northern Ireland driver also finished second in the opening race behind title, rival Martin Molnar, and was seventh in the reverse grid now leads Hungarian driver Molnar, who crashed out of the third race, by 28.5 points in the championship and also holds a commanding lead in the rookie next round of the season takes place at Knockhill in Scotland from 16-17 August.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Hamilton and Verstappen question race delay as others back FIA
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, July 27 (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen questioned race control's handling of the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday as rival drivers commended Formula One's governing body for putting safety first. The race at Spa-Francorchamps was delayed for an hour and 20 minutes as officials waited for rain to stop and conditions to dry out. The safety car then led the field for four laps before a rolling start. "I think we could have started way sooner, that's not ideal," Red Bull's four times world champion Verstappen told reporters, adding that in the end there had been very little racing in the wet. Hamilton, who went from the pit lane to seventh, said he did not think the rolling start was necessary. "I don't really know why they did that one, because it had dried up quite a lot and the spray wasn't that bad," added the Briton. The high-speed Spa circuit is the longest lap on the calendar and weather conditions can be treacherous. It also has a tragic past. French Formula Two driver Anthoine Hubert died in a crash at the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix at the exit of Raidillon, at the top of the famed Eau Rouge, while Dutch teenager Dilano van't Hoff died in a junior series crash in 2023. The list is much longer when the sport's distant past is considered. "I think the past few years, particularly here, we've given the FIA feedback that we would much rather be on the safe side than risk anything," said McLaren's race winner and championship leader Oscar Piastri. "I think that's what we did today. If you were to be picky, maybe we could have done one less formation lap. But in the grand scheme of things, if that's one lap too early, is it worth it? No." Ferrari's third-placed finisher Charles Leclerc, whose family friend Jules Bianchi suffered fatal injuries in a crash at the rain-hit 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, agreed. "On a track like this with what happened historically, I think you cannot forget about it. For that reason, I'd rather be safe than too early," he said. "Maybe it was a little bit on the late side, but I wouldn't have changed anything." Williams' Carlos Sainz, who started near the back and would have suffered in the spray, supported race control. "In a normal track, yes, I think we could have started maybe 5-10 minutes earlier. In Spa-Francorchamps and the history of this track, it's better safe than sorry," said the Spaniard.
