Driving law changes launching in May will see DVSA rule updates, new HMRC rates and more

Felix Reeves
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:27:34 +0000

Motorists are being warned of new rules being introduced in May that could see several key changes get the green light, impacting millions of drivers.

Following a range of new car tax changes in April's new financial year, motorists are preparing for the end of a consultation that could feature mandatory eye tests for elderly drivers and tougher fines for road offences.

With new rules being introduced over the coming weeks, GB News has rounded up the most important driving law changes in May that could impact you.

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Road Safety Strategy

Labour became the first Government to launch a sweeping Road Safety Strategy in more than a decade when it introduced new proposals in January.

Key measures suggested by the Government include:

Motoring offences

Introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers (category B driving licence)

Introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers

Improving moped and motorcycle training, testing and licensing (categories AM, A1, A2 and A driving licence)

Mandating vehicle safety technologies in GB type approval

Labour said it was proposing the sweeping new measures to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on roads across the country.

Data from the Department for Transport shows that an average of four lives were lost daily in 2024, prompting a new 65 per cent reduction target in the number of people killed or seriously injured on roads in Great Britain by 2035.

Following the publication of the Strategy, the Government launched five consultations in hopes of gathering support to enshrine the measures into law.

Drivers and organisations wishing to give their feedback to the consultation have until Monday, May 11, at 11.59pm.

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DVSA

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) confirmed new driving test rules earlier this year in a bid to ease the backlog of hundreds of thousands of tests.

From May 12, 2026, rules will change, allowing only the learner driver to book the test, whereas the driver or the instructor can book now.

Similarly, the learner driver will have the sole responsibility to manage the test from May 12.

When booking, they will have to confirm that they are the learner taking the test and agree to a new set of terms and conditions.

HMRC

At the start of May, HM Revenue and Customs will introduce new VAT road fuel scale charges for the next 12 months.

The road fuel charges can be added to a VAT return to account for the private consumption of fuel on a business vehicle.

The new measures, which will officially launch on May 1, will apply until April 30, 2027, and depend on the vehicle's CO2 emissions output.

Drivers have several choices, including recovering the VAT in full and paying the road fuel scale charge, not recovering any of the VAT, or keeping track of the split of business and personal mileage and recovering some VAT.

For 2026-2027, any vehicle that emits less than 120g of CO2 per kilometre, the VAT inclusive consideration for a 12-month prescribed accounting period starts at £661.

Emissions rates are broken up into categories at intervals of 5g/km, reaching 225g/km or more, which will stand at £2,314.

The VAT inclusive consideration rates are split up for businesses to account for 12 months, three months or one month.