What Van? is aware of a trio of cases where drivers were stopped by police for doing speeds acceptable for most light vans, but, due to an anomaly in the rules, not these three, which must not exceed 50mph on single-lane roads and 60mph on dual carriageways.
The law states that “car-derived vans up to a 2 tonnes max laden weight” can drive at the same speed as cars, but despite having passenger car versions, the Fiat, Citroen and Peugeot vehicles aren’t classified as car-derived vans because they were homologated for sale first as commercial vehicles. The trio are the only vehicles, outside of microvans, on sale in the UK that have a GVW of below two tonnes yet are subject to the lower speed limits, and the lack of clarity has caught out some drivers. The three What Van? knows about were doing speeds that would not have attracted police attention in a car-derived van such as the Citroen Berlingo or Vauxhall Astravan. One speeding ticket was overturned on appeal, which illustrates a lack of consistency on the issue.
A police source told What Van? it’s a situation forces are aware of, and officers could use their discretion on a case-by-case basis.
A Peugeot source told What Van? that discussions are going on between Peugeot and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to close off the issue. “We all know it’s a nonsense but it’s about getting the message through so the right people understand,” said our contact. “It needs a bit of lobbying to bring it to attention.”
