Post-Brexit motorcycle type approval rules are coming

In May 2024, the UK Government set out its plan to implement a type approval framework for motorcycles, cars, vans and other vehicles sold in the UK.

This is one of the few cases in which British lawmakers wanted to derogate from the regulations applicable to our neighbors in the European Union. And while it may sound like there are going to be a lot of radical changes, don’t get too excited about the potential scrapping of Euro5+ and the return of two-strokes!

What does the Minister of Transport propose?

The news comes from a speech by Transport Secretary Mark Harper, in which he introduced the idea of simplifying UK vehicle type approval rules, while reducing the administrative burden of compliance.

There are three main principles behind this, which we will discuss later, but broadly speaking they are as follows:

Standardization through UNECE

The DfT acknowledges that the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) already has a framework in place that it estimates covers between 75 and 80 per cent of vehicle type approval regulations. In fact, maintaining these rules will save time and money and mean that, at least in these areas, we remain in line with our European neighbors.

A flexible approach to recognizing standards and tests from other parts of the world

In the absence of international standards to follow, the DfT is proposing to deregulate some ‘low risk’ areas and adopt ‘alternative national standards’.

Explore the potential for custom requirements or national processes if this is beneficial to the UK

One of the negatives of following European directives was that in some cases they may not have been best for UK-based OEMs and consumers. Looking at this type approval page will enable the Government, where appropriate, to introduce legislation that could help to boost the UK, its economy and industry. It also means that the potentially one-size-fits-all approach of being in the EU, which in some cases does not work for the UK motorcycle market (given its size compared to France, Italy and Spain), may become less of an issue in the future.

Above each of these policies is the desire to reduce what the government calls “administrative burdens,” which we can roughly translate to mean bureaucracy and unnecessary bureaucracy. It all sounds rosy on paper, but it’s a positive move if it doesn’t impact the safety of the products we can buy and ride, or harm the stability of the UK’s £7.2 billion motorbike industry. We also hope that the changes will help the UK keep pace with the EU by saving time from not complying with and implementing UNECE regulations.

We contacted some OEMs who sell bikes in the UK, albeit made overseas, as well as MCIA’s Tony Campbell, to get their thoughts on the changes.

Honda expressed its views on the regulations: “We support the government’s approach to be as consistent with international regulations as possible.” This seems positive, but you get the feeling that as an OEM that sells bikes on every populated continent in the world, bringing UK type approval rules in line with those in neighboring countries makes their lives easier and selling bikes here easier and easier and therefore more attractive option.

A representative from Yamaha Motor UK welcomed the move, although he mentioned to Visordown that the process is at a fairly early stage and therefore the full extent of the changes may not be known for some time.

They said: “There is reference in the speech and related documentation to the proposed new GB type approval for motorcycles, and Yamaha is working closely with MCIA to support their work with the DFT and government on future regulations and legislation that affect powered two-wheelers.” With the latest TRACER 9 GT+ model now equipped with systems such as the Unified Radar-Linked Braking System and ongoing work to meet the upcoming Euro 5+ emission requirements that will be introduced in 2025, our motorcycles and scooters are well-prepared to be able to meet the challenges of the future.”

Perhaps the most insightful commentary on the regulations comes from MCIA’s Tony Campbell. He said: “What has been announced is purely an announcement by the Government to the public that the type approval regulations/process are being reviewed and are taking the opportunity to see how the UK/UK can improve the process/possibly reduce costs “.

He went on to confirm that while the chance to break away from the EU may seem attractive, especially to people of a certain age, it is unlikely to mean a return to the old days of smoky two-stroke and inline-six engines. “It is important to note that this is not intended to diverge from EU regulations on design and construction standards,” he said, “simply to take into account testing processes and principles. We expect that if a manufacturer decides to type approval for the UK/UK market only, they may choose to use the GB scheme IF this becomes easier and cheaper. That said, approval is likely to only be accepted in the UK market and not EU markets, whereas if the testing standard/approval is completed to EU testing standards it will be accepted in the EU, UK and UK.

He then provided a view of when Category L Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) in the UK might come into force and explained that the transition from that point should be smooth. “For the L category, the type approval/test review process under the GB WVTA program will not start until 2026 (estimated), with an effective date of 1 January 2028. We expect that both DFT and the automotive sector will learn a lot This means that the transition to the L category should be relatively smooth.”

In short, yes, the UK Government is considering a new type approval regulatory framework, and more specifically, in some cases the UK could be more flexible and save on costs and “overall administrative burdens”. This doesn’t mean that there will be a series of radical changes that will upset the apple cart, but the risk is that we as consumers are likely to see very little change in the bikes available.