Electric van MOTs “impossible” to book as AFP calls for deferral

A deferral for MOTs of 4.25 tonne electric vans is being called for by the Association of Fleet Operators (AFP), with some fleets finding tests “impossible” to book.   

For MOT test purposes, this special category of vans is treated as a heavy goods vehicle (HGV), meaning that it has to be tested after one year rather than three, and also faces a more rigorous examination.

Aaron Powell, fleet and logistics director at Speedy Hire, is one AFP member being affected and reports that his company will have to potentially take a number of vehicles off the road.

He explained: “These 4.25 tonne vans require a Class 7 HGV MOT test and, between generally poor capacity for HGV testing and few test centres being able to handle electric vehicles, we’re finding it impossble on a practical level to book tests. 

“Our lease provider has spent the last three months trying to find garages with the ability to carry out the pre-testing and source available slots for the test with limited success.”

He added: “This is going to have a serious impact on our business because we’re going to have to take these vans off the road and no doubt many other fleets are finding themselves in the same situation.”

Regulations related to annual vehicle testing, drivers’ hours and tachographs and speed limiter devices for this weight category of electric vans are set to be defined, following a Government consultation that was launched on Christmas eve.  

The consultation ‘Zero emission vans: regulatory flexibility’ seeks to reduce the barriers to electric van adoption by defining the regulations for vehicles that fall within the 4.25-tonne derogation.

Lorna McAtear, vice chair at the AFP, said: “As an organisation and at an individual member level, we’re very much focussed on safety and of course recognise the role that the MOT test plays in ensuring that vehicles operated by fleets are in a roadworthy condition.

“However, it’s questionable whether 4.25 tonne electric vans require HGV tests, an argument we have been making to government for some time. 

“The whole point of this category of van when it was introduced in 2019 was to provide easy access for fleets to an electric equivalent of a 3.5 tonne panel van. These vehicles are simply 3.5 tonne vans with bigger batteries.”

She explained: “The difficulties members are encountering around their inability to book MOT testing only emphasises this confusion. 

“While the situation is being resolved, we would like to see government and the official bodies involved introduce some form of dispensation, similar to that created during the pandemic, allowing fleets to defer tests for a period of perhaps six or 12 months on 4.25 tonners for the first and second year of testing, giving them time to find and book testing facilities. 

“It is disappointing that businesses working in good faith to electrify their light commercial vehicle operations are being affected in this manner.”

She added that despite a willingness on the part of Government to try and overcome issues surrounding 4.25 tonne vans, problems remained.

“As a result of discussions between the Office for Zero Emissions, Driver Vehicle Standards Authority and Department for Transport, the operation of these vans on a practical level is often difficult for fleets due to confusion over whether they have been deregulated from all of the operator responsibilities that normally apply to vans over 3.5 tonnes,” she said.

“The Government is aware of this and is trying to resolve the situation through the current consultation because there remains widespread belief that the 4.25 tonne concept remains worth pursuing as a means of speeding up van electrification. However, this process is taking time.”