From 1 June 2026, zero-emission goods vehicles with a design gross weight between 3,501kg and 4,250kg are tested as Class 7. Conventional Class 7 goods vehicles are unchanged: over 3,000kg up to and including 3,500kg design gross weight. The change was set out in DVSA MOT Special Notice 01-26, and the MOT inspection manual was updated from the same date.
Class 7 testing stations must accept these vehicles. Nothing about your existing authorisation changes, and no equipment upgrade is mandated, but the obligation to accept them makes it worth confirming what your bay can actually take.
What changed on 1 June 2026?
Class 7 now covers two groups of goods vehicle:
- Conventional goods vehicles: over 3,000kg up to and including 3,500kg design gross weight (category N1). Unchanged.
- Zero-emission goods vehicles: over 3,500kg up to and including 4,250kg design gross weight (category N2). New from 1 June 2026.
Two other details change with the class. These vehicles take their first Class 7 MOT three years after registration, and their minimum tyre tread depth moves from 1mm to 1.6mm, in line with the rest of Class 7.
Which vehicles count as zero-emission?
For this purpose a zero-emission vehicle is one with no internal combustion engine, or with an internal combustion engine that emits zero grams of CO2 per kilometre.
Hybrids are excluded. That includes range extenders — a vehicle with a petrol, diesel or LPG engine that either drives the vehicle or charges the battery is not a zero-emission goods vehicle, so a hybrid van over 3,500kg does not become Class 7.
Why did the Class 7 limit change for zero-emission vehicles?
A zero-emission goods vehicle carries the extra weight of its battery and drive system, so it is often heavier than an equivalently sized diesel van doing the same job. That extra mass pushed many electric vans over 3,500kg on design gross weight alone.
Before the change, crossing 3,500kg moved the vehicle into heavy-goods vehicle testing. The government's position was that this placed disproportionate financial and operational burdens on operators running vans that are functionally equivalent to their 3.5-tonne diesel counterparts, and that the difference came from battery weight rather than from how the vehicle is used. Extending Class 7 to 4,250kg for zero-emission goods vehicles removes that mismatch.
What does this mean for existing Class 7 MOT stations?
Class 7 stations must accept zero-emission goods vehicles in the 3,501kg to 4,250kg band. The notice does not require any station to replace or upgrade equipment, and it does not change the equipment specification for a Class 7 bay — the change is to vehicle classification.
What it does mean is that these vehicles can now present at your bay as Class 7 work. A bay specified years ago around a 3,500kg maximum may handle them, or it may not; that depends on the individual equipment rather than on the test class.
Where a vehicle as presented cannot be tested safely, the tester should decline the test. That is the practical limit, and it is an equipment question, not a classification one.
Does your existing Class 7 lift have enough capacity?
Two different numbers get confused here, and they are not the same measurement:
- Design gross weight (DGW) is a vehicle classification figure, taken from the manufacturer’s plate. It determines which MOT class the vehicle falls into.
- Safe working load (SWL) is an equipment figure. It is the maximum load the lift, jacking beam or brake tester is rated to take.
A lift is not suitable for a vehicle simply because its rated capacity is a larger number than the vehicle’s design gross weight. Axle loading, the lifting points, platform length and the way the load sits on the lift all matter, and the equipment manufacturer’s specification is what governs.
So the question is not “is Class 7 now 4,250kg?” but “what are my lift, jacking beam and brake tester rated for, and does that cover a 4,250kg van?” Check the specification for your individual equipment, or send the model details to the service team and ask.
What should you consider when planning a new Class 7 bay?
If you are specifying a bay now, the vehicle mix is the starting point:
- Expected vehicle mix. Which classes you intend to test, and in what proportion.
- Conventional versus zero-emission commercial vehicles. A Class 7 station has to accept vehicles up to 4,250kg, so there is a good case for specifying to the top of the band rather than to 3,500kg.
- Lift or access-system suitability. Capacity, platform length and lifting arrangement for the heaviest and longest vehicle you expect, confirmed against the equipment specification.
- Brake testing equipment. Specified for the axle loads the lane will actually see.
- Bay dimensions and layout. Length, width and headroom for the vehicles presenting, plus the brake-tester run and headlamp-test area.
- Future vehicle mix. Fleets are changing. It is cheaper to allow for heavier zero-emission vans at specification stage than to revisit the bay later.
- Site survey before committing to equipment. The building, floor, power and drainage decide what can actually be installed.
See Class 7 MOT bays for the bay specification, or Class 4 and 7 combined bays if one lane needs to cover both classes.
Planning for heavier zero-emission vans
The class boundary moved; equipment ratings did not move with it. If you are unsure where your bay stands, the useful first step is to check what is installed against what can now present for test.
Liftmaster can review the existing equipment and layout, or specify a new bay around the vehicle mix you expect.
Book an MOT bay site survey, browse the MOT bay equipment range, or get a quote for the bay you are planning.
Source: DVSA MOT Special Notice 01-26, published 13 May 2026, and the MOT inspection manual as updated from 1 June 2026. See MOT manuals, checklists and special notices on GOV.UK for the current published guidance.