Consultation outcome

Updating GB type approval for road vehicles: government response

Updated 6 March 2024

Introduction

Motor vehicles are required to be type-approved against safety and environmental rules before they go on sale. This enables government agencies to ensure that manufacturers are producing vehicles that comply with the safety and environmental obligations set out in legislation. 

On 12 October 2023, the Department for Transport (the department) published a consultation to seek views on whether the GB type approval scheme should: 

• permit Euro 6e emissions standards for cars and light goods vehicles as an alternative to the current Euro 6d requirement
• accept certain other safety and environmental standards

The consultation closed on 10 November 2023. 

The consultation asked 3 questions about our proposals, which were generally supported. We also asked one open ended question about proposals for other amendments to the GB type approval scheme, and this brought a wide range of responses, which are summarised below. 

A total of 33 responses to the main set of consultation questions were received. Of those, 8 were from companies and 7 were from representative bodies. The remainder were from private individuals and other organisations. See table 1 below for a summary of what kind of organisation responded.

We are grateful for the considered evidence and opinions submitted in response to this consultation. We will review the proposals made in response to question 4 to establish if they are suitable for inclusion in future amendments and may seek to explore them further with stakeholders.

Table 1: Summary of types of responder

Type of responder	Number of responses
Private individual	15
Companies	8
Representative Bodies	7
Other	3

Summary of responses

Question 1

Do you have any comments on our proposals on accepting UNECE Regulations on Euro 6e emissions for cars and light goods vehicles?

19 responders were in favour, including all the associations representing vehicle manufacturers and converters. 9 responders, mostly members of the public, were against the proposals. 5 responders provided no comment.

There was some opposition received from members of the public. Closer examination showed they were not in fact against the proposal, but were sceptical of the need for improved emissions standards. They were also concerned about the potential for increased costs when repairing the latest emissions control technology. 

The proposals will not mandate compliance with Euro 6e. They are intended to give manufacturers greater flexibility to choose how they will demonstrate compliance to the existing GB requirements. Euro 6d will remain the minimum requirement following the introduction of these proposals. 

The department will take into account the comments showing concern about repair costs when considering emissions standards in the future.

Question 2

Do you have any comments on our proposals on accepting the UNECE regulations for tyre installation, added sound for quiet vehicles, or on the other proposals correcting errors?

20 responders were in favour, including all the associations representing vehicle manufacturers and converters. 6 responders were against the proposals, and 7 responders provided no comment.

Most responders welcomed the proposal to include reference in the GB type approval scheme to UNECE Regulation 142 on tyre installation, including those groups representing the tyre industry. 

Tyre and safety organisations also advocated for the GB type approval scheme to require the mandatory fitment of tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) to heavy duty vehicles, in line with UNECE Regulation 141. They noted this is already stipulated in the EU Whole Vehicle Type Approval scheme, under the EU’s General Safety Regulation (GSR2). See Next steps below for more information on the GSR2.

The other proposals, including correction of errors, were supported with minimal accompanying comments.

Question 3

Do you agree that the EU standard on rear registration plate space should be accepted as an alternative to the GB rules on this topic?

19 responders were in favour, including all the associations representing vehicle manufacturers and converters. 4 responders were against the proposals, and 10 responders provided no comment.

Most responders supported the EU standard on rear registration plate space being accepted as an alternative to the GB rules.  

The prevailing view was that the difference in the standards does not affect the visibility of the rear registration plate and there is no reduction in safety by permitting the EU standard. 

A few private individuals did not agree with the proposal but did not elaborate on their reasons.

Other comments

Please provide any other comments you may have on the GB type approval scheme, for consideration in relation to potential future amendments.

This question was designed to be open-ended and attracted a range of responses. These will be used to help us decide on potential amendments to the GB type approval scheme in the future.

The main concern of industry was ensuring the GB type approval scheme remains aligned with the standards applying in the EU and Northern Ireland, as well as wider international standards (for example UNECE regulations). This will enable one specification of vehicle to be sold in all relevant markets. Responders indicated this will reduce costs for manufacturers and permit new vehicles to be moved between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, ensuring flexibility for dealers – particularly in Northern Ireland.

Another frequent comment was that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in vehicle conversion, including special purpose vehicles, should be provided with suitable exemptions. This primarily concerned requirements that might impose disproportionate costs, noting that such exemptions are not provided within UNECE regulations. 

There were requests that adequate transitional provisions are provided for the implementation of any new regulation, or amending regulation, in the GB type approval scheme. 

There was also a request that greater certainty is given over the availability of end-of-series derogations which facilitate stock run-out at the point a new regulation comes into effect. 

An area where differing views were received was the question of adopting measures in the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR2), such as advanced emergency braking systems, lane departure warning systems and improved pedestrian protection systems. Whilst some were in favour of this, groups representing low volume manufacturers and representatives of the bus industry asked for suitable exemptions, depending on the technology, its cost and expected benefits in specific use cases (for example, urban buses). 

There was a point raised that manufacturers would face rising costs if forced to produce GB-specific products, which would increase costs for drivers in the long term.

Government response  

Having considered the responses to this consultation, we have decided to proceed with updating GB type approval for road vehicles so that it:

• permits Euro 6e emissions standards (via UN type approvals) for cars and light goods vehicles as an alternative to the current Euro 6d requirement
• accepts certain other other safety and environmental standards

Next steps

We laid a statutory instrument (SI 2024 No. 146) on 15 February 2024, updating GB type approval for road vehicles. The majority of this SI takes effect on 7 March 2024.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) will shortly be providing confirmation of this to their GB type approval customers and will be willing to discuss the detailed implications.

The department thanks those who responded for their detailed comments about changes to the scheme in the coming years. These will be considered carefully and we will be consulting further on specific issues. The comments about the various technologies which are part of the EU General Safety Regulation (GSR2) will be taken into account as we assess the costs and benefits of adopting such technologies in Great Britain.