6 Changes to UK Driving You Need to Know in 2021

Every year the government rolls out stricter and more refined guidelines for driving on UK roads. With the PM clamping down on everything from tailpipe emissions to purchase tax rules, there are some things that aren’t so obvious to the casual driver. 

Now it can’t have escaped your notice that some cities have rolled out a series of low emissions zones that come with their own enforced taxes or the rise in police monitoring the highways. With a whole host of legislation shaping the way we all use the roads, here are the 6 changes to UK driving you to need to know about in 2021:

1. Stricter mobile phone usage rules

We all know that it is illegal to answer or make a phone call while driving, and yet many UK drivers will still use their phone in one way or another while behind the wheel. 

Up until April 2021, there was a loophole that essentially allowed you to use your mobile phone so long as you weren’t performing “an interactive communication” while driving. 

Rewind to 2019, and a staggering 637 casualties occured on Britain’s roads. That number included 18 deaths and 135 injuries in crashes where a driver using a mobile device was a contributing factor. 

Up until this point, drivers had successfully argued that snapping a picture or filming while driving didn’t interfere with the legislation at the time. After accumulating all the statistics on show, the government decided to take more divisive action closing the loophole by April 2021. 

Now if you are caught with your mobile phone in your hand while driving, regardless of the reason, you could net a £200 fine on the spot and up to six points on your license. 

1. Penalties for driving a non compliant emissions standards vehicle

The motor industry is rapidly changing. With the likes of Tesla and Nissan leading the charge with some of the most groundbreaking electric vehicles (EVs) on the market, its no surprise. But when faced with pressure from the UK government to bring tailpipe emissions down to zero by 2030, chances are you’ve already encountered one of the country’s low emission zones. 

Driving through London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – the one that started it all – drivers can face a daily charge of £12 if their vehicle is not ULEZ compliant. While drivers in Clean Air Zones (CAZ) can face a daily charge of £8 – 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Currently that is any vehicle that isn’t Euro 5, 6, hybrid or pure electric. But even that is about to change. 

Come 2030, all new sales of petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK, with hybrids being outlawed in 2035. With time ticking and the government pushing for a bigger uptake in EVs with Plug-in grant schemes and the like, upgrading your vehicle suddenly makes a lot of sense. 

With car financing making newer vehicles more affordable, you can get your hands on the latest models within minutes as long as you meet lender criteria online. What’s more, even if you have no credit history to speak of or have been rejected before, there are specialist lenders out there who deal in bad credit car financing. What are you waiting for?

1. Purchase tax

Hot off the heels of the EV revolution coursing through UK shores comes purchase tax. Aimed at petrol and diesel car owners, purchase tax is there to make environmentally friendly vehicles more affordable, while those driving cars that emit more than 225g CO2/km will find themselves paying up to 50% more tax this year. 

Upgrading suddenly looks a bit more appealing!

1. Focus on CO2 (VED)

As of April 2021, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) tightened its belt once more. Essentially, VED reflects the amount of CO2 your car expels from its exhaust, and how much extra tax you have to pay because of it. If you are fortunate to have a vehicle that emits no CO2 it will cost you nothing to tax. 

Ranging from £10 per year (first year rate) for 1-50 CO2 emissions (g/km) upto £2,245 (first year rate) for over 255 CO2 emissions (g/km) – its’ a hefty tax that can be avoided if you are prepared to switch up your vehicle. 

1. Fuel Duty

In the last two years, fuel prices have reached an all time low in the first time in over a decade with the impact of the pandemic and have quickly climbed back up again as though nothing ever happened. 

Then there is fuel duty. It’s one of those “hidden” taxes that is included in the price you pay for petrol, diesel and other fuels used primarily in vehicles and heating your home. Where you can expect to pay the standard VAT rate of 20% on most fuel, there is a reduced rate of 5% on domestic heating fuel. 

Fortunately, fuel duty will once again be frozen throughout 2021 at the same rate its been for the past decade. It currently stands as 57.95p per litre for petrol, diesel, biodiesel and bioethanol. 

1. New green number plates

Even zero emission vehicles need to stand out from the crowd with their newly recognised “green slip” number plates. Made legal at the beginning of December 2020, new green number plates are one of the easiest ways to take advantage of green parking initiatives and zero emission zones. 

Although all ULEZ and CAZ (Clean Air Zones) have smart number recognition technology running throughout the UKs biggest cities, the green plate is quickly becoming the norm for EV drivers rather than dateless private number plates.

With more and more places implementing zero emissions as a standard, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford, it’s a worthwhile extra to consider. 

The UK roads are changing. With more and more government incentives pushing for a greener, zero emission country, the clock is well and truly ticking to make the switch to an electric vehicle. Are you ready to make the change?