Motorists could face new £1,000 fines as Labour consults on new emissions rules designed to crack down on harmful vehicles and protect human health.
A new consultation from the Department for Transport is seeking views on proposals to strengthen the law around emissions from road vehicles used in Great Britain.
It aims to promote vehicle maintenance and enable stronger enforcement to improve air quality, in addition to protecting human health.
The consultation outlines that once vehicles are on the road, there are limited tools to ensure that vehicle emissions control systems (ECS) remain functioning as intended.
Labour’s consultation aims to address these issues to ensure that vehicles on the road do not emit higher emissions of pollutants than they did when they were first launched on roads.
Evidence suggests that stronger legal measures are required to ensure emissions remain properly controlled during the lifecycle of the vehicle.
The consultation outlines suggestions to make it a legal requirement that all road vehicles in use in GB must have their ECS maintained.
This would be aligned with the maximum level of emissions and other requirements of the control system, which continue to operate as set by law at the time of manufacture.
The new rules could see drivers fined £1,000 over emissions concerns
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Potential changes would include changes to regulations impacting certain sections of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
This would include use of a vehicle that does not comply with construction and use requirements (section 42), alterations to vehicles (section 75) and fitting or supply of unsuitable vehicle parts (section 76).
Breaches of these changes could result in fines of between £1,000 and an “unlimited amount” following successful prosecution in the magistrates’ court.
This would make it illegal to use a vehicle on the road which has been modified in a way that means it no longer meets the emissions standards it was approved to.
The consultation on vehicle emissions rules will end in September
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PADrivers would also be prohibited from allowing a vehicle to be used on the road which has been maintained or modified in a way that it no longer meets emissions standards.
Motorists would also be restricted from modifying a vehicle themselves if it fails to meet standards.
The Government said it had chosen not to distinguish between excess emissions caused by poor maintenance of a vehicle and those caused by modifications.
It added: “Similarly, we do not propose to distinguish unintentional and deliberate modifications made to the ECS, nor whether these are through hardware or software alterations.
“The environmental and health impacts of excess emissions are the same, regardless of the reason.
“Such distinctions can also be difficult to evidence and would make enforcement unreasonably difficult.”
Certain exemptions to regulation 61A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 would be included for certain situations, including when the vehicle is used off-road, or the reason for excess emissions is out of the control of the owner.
The consultation will run until 11.59pm on September 6, 2026, although the Government has not given a timetable on when responses will be published.