GB News has rounded up the most important driving law changes Britons need to be aware of from 2024, including new charges for petrol and diesel motorists, car tax hikes and new number plates.
The past 12 months have seen countless motoring rules be introduced and some may have flown under the radar for Britons in a tumultuous year.
To help drivers navigate around the driving law changes they may have missed over the last 12 months, GB News has compiled the most important new rules that will impact you.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailingmotoring@gbnews.uk
Drivers may have missed a number of new motoring law changes introduced in 2024
GETTY/ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL
Car tax
In the new financial year in April, Vehicle Excise Duty rates increased in line with the retail price index (RPI) for the 2024-25 tax year, slapping some drivers with hefty price hikes.
Drivers who registered vehicles which emit less than 75g of CO2 per kilometre on or after April 1, 2017, did not see an increase in their car tax payments.
While many vehicles saw a price hike of around £5 or £10, owners of the most polluting vehicles, namely those which produce more than 255g/km saw a price jump by £140 from £2,605 to £2,745.
Four cities in Scotland have Low Emission Zones in operation
PA
Low Emission Zones
In May and June, the Scottish cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow formally launched Low Emission Zones to crack down on pollution in the busy city centres.
Motorists who own older, more polluting vehicles are now required to pay a daily charge of £60 when driving inside one of the four Low Emission Zones.
All non-compliant vehicles entering a LEZ across Scotland will see them hit with a £60 fine, with the rate doubling for each subsequent breach, capped at £480 for cars and LGVs, while minibuses, buses, coaches and HGVs could see maximum fines of £980.
The minimum criteria include Euro 4 for petrol vehicles (generally registered from 2006 onwards), Euro 6 for diesel (registered from September 2015 onwards) and Euro VI for buses, coaches and HGVs (January 2013 onwards).
Ulez
In September, London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for the Transport for London Ulez scrappage scheme to be shuttered after helping nearly 54,000 applicants switch to cleaner forms of transport.
Khan said he was “proud” to have overseen such a massive project, adding that the scrappage scheme had helped Ulez compliance reach an impressive 96 per cent across the capital.
A further Ulez announcement was confirmed in March to allow motorists to donate their polluting petrol and diesel vehicles to the British Ukrainian Aid charity to help in the war effort against Russia. This followed calls from former Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko to send scrappage scheme vehicles to Ukraine.
The DVLA holds personalised number plate auctions online every six weeks
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Number plates
Over the last 12 months, two new number plates have launched onto forecourts, with drivers seeing the new “24” and “74” identifiers adorning new models in March and September respectively.
The DVLA has also taken steps to make personalised number plates more accessible to all drivers. Following the final in-person auction at the end of 2023, bespoke number plates have been going under the digital hammer on the DVLA’s website.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The ZEV mandate was officially launched on January 1, 2024
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Electric vehicles
New EV targets were confirmed in November as part of the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 which aim to ensure that drivers can access public chargers in a convenient and reliable manner.
Policies included all new public charge points of 8kW and above and existing charge points of 50kW and above must offer contactless payment options, have a 99 per cent reliability rate and have a free, 24/7 staffed telephone line.
It also comes as the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate gets underway. By the end of 2024, all manufacturers must ensure that at least 22 per cent of new car sales and 10 per cent of new van sales are electric.
If brands fail to meet these targets, they could face a fine of up to £15,000 per polluting vehicle. However, brands are not expected to be slapped with any penalties for the first few years thanks to credit trading and other flexibilities.
The Government launched its long-awaited consultation on the ZEV mandate on Christmas Eve which asks manufacturers and other industry experts to make their feelings clear on the future of the targets and what changes should be made to ensure brands are able to meet the goals.
