Drivers who hold a standard car licence will soon be able to get behind the wheel of heavier, alternatively-fuelled vans, in a bid to encourage the uptake of cleaner commercial vehicles.
A minimum of five hours of additional training is all that’s needed for motorists to drive these larger models if they hold a category B driving licence.
The change in the law comes as the government seeks to encourage more business owners to make the switch to cleaner electrified models, with more manufacturers launching either electric or plug-in hybrid versions of their vans, which are predominantly aimed at urban drivers.
Motorists who hold a category B licence could only previously drive vans up to 3.5 tonnes, but with alternatively-fuelled vehicles, this has increased to 4.25 tonnes. The 3.5 tonne limit still applies to petrol and diesel vans.
The change has also come through the additional weight on electrified vans, because of the additional weight that comes from the batteries needed to offer a lengthy and usable range on a vehicle of this size.
Jesse Norman, future of mobility minister, said: “The government’s Road to Zero Strategy sets out our ambition for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.
“By changing these driving licence requirements, we are seeking to support business owners by enabling them to use alternatively fuelled vehicles more easily.”
Extra tuition can only be provided by two government-recognised training providers – the National Register of LGV Instructors and the National Vocational Driving Instructors Register.
