With less than 7 months remaining until the 31 January 2026 deadline, when all M & N category vehicles must hold full GB or UKNI type approval (g11 or n11) to be sold in Great Britain.
Provisional approvals (p??) will expire by this date – or sooner. If you haven’t started the application process, we urge you to act now to avoid disruption to market access.
Guidance and support is available on the GB Type Approval pages
Minister for the Future of Roads Endorses GB Vehicle Type Approval Scheme
Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for the Future of Roads, has reaffirmed the UK Government’s commitment to the GB vehicle type approval scheme, describing it as a cornerstone for ensuring safety, environmental integrity, and market fairness in the automotive sector.
In a letter to Mike Hawes, Chief Executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Lilian Greenwood outlined the scheme’s role in maintaining a level playing field for vehicles entering the GB market. She emphasised the importance of effective enforcement and oversight, with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) playing a central role.
The Minister also addressed concerns about regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, reiterating the Government’s commitment to the Windsor Framework.
“Our core objective is to ensure manufacturers can dual-approve vehicles to both schemes on the basis of a single set of tests,” the minister stated. “To that end, the Department will continue to monitor regulatory activity in the EU and adopt an explicit presumption in favour of alignment in the GB scheme, aiming to minimise the administrative burden for manufacturers.”
The Minister urged manufacturers to ensure vehicles are properly approved and documented for both GB and NI markets. With a deadline looming, she reminded industry stakeholders that all passenger and goods vehicles sold in GB must have GB approval by February 2026.
GB Type Approval Legislation Update: New Amendments Now in Force (as of 3 July 2025)
Following a consultation held at the end of 2024, the UK Government has enacted key changes to the GB type approval framework. The resulting legislation – Statutory Instrument (SI) 2025 No. 661: The Road Vehicles (Type-Approval) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 – was laid before Parliament on 12 June 2025 and entered into force on 3 July 2025.
The full text is available on legislation.gov.uk, and the amendments will soon be consolidated into GB legislation on the VCA VISTA platform.
What’s Changing?
- eCall Modernisation: Aligns with EU requirements for 4G/5G networks, preparing for 2G/3G phase-out.
- Component Approvals for eCall: Allows UN component approvals while retaining GB-specific vehicle-level approval.
- Updated Testing Protocols: Revises defrost/demist and wash/wipe requirements to reflect latest EU standards.
- Permanent Acceptance of EU VECTO Component Certifications: Removes the 2026 deadline, making them permanent in the GB scheme.
- New UN Regulations: Adds updated rules for ISOFIX and Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS).
New Portal Developments
Finally, we’d like to take this opportunity to let you know about changes on the VCA Digital Portal that went live Monday, 7 July. You can now add additional Order Items to an In Progress Customer Order, supply more relevant information to the AES/BES application to help with quicker processing, and we have added Exemption options on AES/BES tasks.
More details are available on the VCA Digital Portal page, including updated video and user guides.