Driving law changes could see devices fitted in all new cars amid calls for rules to launch in King's Speech

WATCH: Sales of new cars grew by around 3.5% last year amid surge in demand for EVs

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GB NEWS

Felix Reeves

By Felix Reeves


Published: 11/05/2026

- 14:38

Estimates suggest that a national network of defibrillators in cars could save thousands of lives

Campaigners are calling for new laws to be included in this week's King's Speech that could see devices installed in cars across the country.

Research shows that 74 per cent of people believe that Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) should be mandated inside all new cars sold in the UK.


The JumpStart health campaign has called on the Government to introduce new changes that would mandate the devices in new vehicles to crack down on soaring cardiac arrest rates.

Estimates show that more than 40,000 people across the UK suffer from out-of-hospital cardiac events every year.

The survival rate of these instances is just one in 10, while early defibrillation can improve survival rates by up to 70 per cent when used within three to five minutes.

With three-quarters of British people supporting the proposals, JumpStart is hoping to further boost awareness of the issue.

The campaign, which is funded by philanthropist Jonathan Harris CBE, has engaged with key stakeholders over the last nine months.

This includes the Department for Transport, the Department of Health and Social Care, and 10 Downing Street, with Parliamentarians from across both Houses supporting the measures.

Car production factory and a defibrillator

Experts are calling for new rules around defibrillators in vehicles to be included in the King's Speech

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PA

Proposals put forward by JumpStart would also incorporate the maintenance of defibrillators into the existing MOT test framework.

If all new vehicles sold were to be fitted with a defibrillator, the UK would quickly develop one of the largest networks of AEDs in the world.

Jon McLeod, campaign director of JumpStart, said: "With Parliament now prorogued and the King's Speech just days away, this is the moment for the Government to act. Our proposal is simple, practical, and backed by three-quarters of the British public.

"Mandating defibrillators in new vehicles would turn the UK's car fleet into a life-saving public health resource, putting a defibrillator within reach in communities across the country, around the clock.

Defibrillator on a wall in LeedsExperts say installing defibrillators in cars could save thousands of lives | PA

"We are asking Ministers to seize this opportunity and include this measure in their legislative programme."

The UK's National Defibrillator Network, known as The Circuit, now has more than 100,000 devices accessible across the country.

This is a stunning increase of 30,000 new devices compared to September 2023, with the service being run by the British Heart Foundation, in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, and the NHS.

More than half (58.6 per cent) of the over 100,000 defibrillators included in The Circuit are accessible on a 24/7 basis.

A defibrillatorThe DVSA have unveiled the new theory test changes to reduce the burden on the NHS | DVSA

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport told GB News: "The Government has no plans to make it a mandatory requirement to fit defibrillators in cars."

King Charles will deliver the King's Speech on May 13, 2026, which will see the monarch formally open Parliament and outline the Government's proposed policies.

Several new laws are expected to be included in the King's Speech from the Armed Forces Bill, Courts and Tribunals Bill, Northern Ireland Troubles Bill and Railways Bill.

Labour confirmed this morning that the King is expected to give the Government the option to bring British Steel into public ownership.