NCC confirms special purpose vehicles (Motorhomes) exempt from ZEV mandate changes

The NCC has confirmed with the Department for Transport that special purpose vehicles, for example those registered as 'M1 motorhome', are exempt from the recent changes to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate. 

The mandate included a relaxation of rules on the sale of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vans until 2035 but it was not clear whether the changes applied to chassis cabs used for motorhome or campervan conversion purposes. 

The DfT has since confirmed to the NCC that converters and manufacturers can continue to use ICE cabs until at least 2035. 

The NCC had previously called for motorhomes as special purpose vehicles to be exempt from the ZEV mandate, as part of an earlier consultation. 

What changes were announced?

These statements are taken from the official announcement, which can be read in full here:

• Vans with an internal combustion engine (ICE) will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, alongside full hybrids and plug-in hybrid vans

And:

• The exemption of all micro vehicle manufacturers (MVMs), small vehicle manufacturers (SVMs), special purpose and kit vehicles from the requirement to end the sale of pure ICE cars by 2030. SVMs will need to apply for a bespoke derogation to reduce their emissions across their fleets.

What did the Government say?

The Government has stated its next steps as this: “We want to restore much-needed certainty and stability to the automotive sector. We will bring forward regulations to implement the policy changes proposed to the ZEV mandate promptly and will engage relevant stakeholders on the draft regulations as soon as possible.

“We will continue to work to define regulatory mechanisms for the continued ZEV transition post-2030, including technology definitions for non-ZEV cars and vans, and non-ZEV fleet CO₂ reduction requirements. These will be subject to further consultation prior to implementation.”