Braking performance assessment requirements from April 2025

In a significant move to enhance road safety, the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has announced that, effective April 2025, there is an expectation that every safety inspection will include a brake performance assessment using either an RBT, a suitable electronic brake performance monitoring system (EBPMS) or a decelerometer with temperature readings. If EBPMS is not used it is expected there is a minimum of four laden brake tests spread evenly across the year, this can include the annual test.

Acceptable reasons for not carrying out a laden brake assessment.

Vehicles where laden brake assessments may not be possible or where additional loading would be difficult are listed below (this is not an exhaustive list), however there is an expectation that at least four of the assessments will use an RBT unless the construction or weight of the vehicle prevents its use.

Vehicles where under normal operating conditions (more than 70% of the time) run at less than 65% of the permitted axle weights. This may include car transporters where they are designed for that specific task
Furniture removal vehicles – Only when designed and constructed as a furniture removal vehicle
ADR – Only when the load is considered dangerous and specialist facilities are not available
Vehicles operating at 50% or more of permitted axle weights when unladen – This could include fixed plant, mobile libraries, compactor vehicles, exhibition type vehicles, bullion vehicles, etc.

Where a laden brake test is not carried out a risk assessment detailing the reasons, must be completed by a competent person who understands braking systems and its components at every safety inspection.

There must be an evaluation of the vehicle/ trailer performance report before every safety inspection by a competent person who can interpret the data. The evaluation must be signed, dated, and attached to the vehicle record together with the performance data report. The evaluation and data report may be a single document.

To allow flexibility vehicles can be presented for brake testing up to 14 days before the safety inspection date; this allows the operator to conduct a laden brake test during the vehicle/trailer normal activities without the need to specially load it.

Reliable brake testing is crucial to ensure road safety, helping to identify any potential brake issues that may lead to accidents on the road, minimising risks to the HGV drivers and other road users.

What does this update mean for you?

To follow best practice and comply with the proposed new legislation, the DVSA expect that with every safety inspection a brake performance assessment is completed with an RBT, suitable electronic brake performance monitoring system (EBPMS) or using a decelerometer and taking temperature readings as the sole method for evaluating brake performance.

In some cases, a loaded brake test may be impractical. As such, if a vehicle or trailer consistently operates under specific conditions, exemptions may apply. Examples include:

ADR vehicles: when the load is considered dangerous, and specialist facilities are unavailable.
Livestock carriers: when recreating the load is not possible.
Noxious load carriers: only if the vehicle is specifically designed for this purpose.
Furniture removal vehicles: only if the vehicle is specifically designed for this purpose.
Public service vehicles: this includes prisoner transfer vehicles.
Vehicles that operate at 50% or more of permitted axle weight when unladen. This could include fixed plant, mobile libraries, compactor vehicles or bullion transport vehicles.
Vehicles that more than 70% of the time run at less than 65% of the permitted axle weights, these may include car transporters or unladen tri-axle semi-trailers.

For businesses running vehicles not fitted with an EBPMS (currently only available on trailers) or exempt, a minimum of four laden RBT assessments are required, these are to be spread evenly across the year and include the existing requirement to conduct a RBT at each MOT test. To ensure minimal disruption, these tests can be completed as early as 14 days before the next safety inspection date.

A risk assessment (example here) must be available to support every safety inspection where a laden brake test is not completed. The operator will still be responsible for a risk assessment is in place to justify any exemption. This assessment should be:

Available to review during every safety inspection.

Updated annually, or whenever there is a change in vehicle use.

Retained with vehicle maintenance documents for 15 months.

What Should Our Customers Do?

At Mac’s Truck Rental, we are dedicated to providing safe and roadworthy vehicles to our customers and as part of this dedication we will be working with our customers to ensure they re-main compliant.

To achieve this, we will continue to complete our standard 4 laden RBTs per year across our managed fleets, while supporting our customers’ unique operational needs but will offer an increase in the frequency of the laden brake tests being conducted at the customer’s request. (Conditions apply).

We will be available to assist our customers, offering advice on how the new requirements affect their operations, any potential cost implications and providing information on keeping their own fleet in compliance.

For more information on the Braking performance assessment requirements from April 2025 and further reading please see below links.

Guide to maintaining roadworthiness: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6751b5d044885d072cecbd62/guide-to-maintaining-roadworthiness-commercial-goods-and-public-service-vehicles.pdf

Brake test risk assessment: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67362fbaf6920bfb5abc7bc1/annex-7-example-of-a-brake-assessment-risk-assessment-template.pdf

Understanding your HGV or trailer’s brake test report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-your-hgv-or-trailers-brake-test-report/understanding-your-hgv-or-trailers-brake-test-report

EBPMS Industry Standard Specification:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electronic-braking-performance-monitoring-systems/electronic-braking-performance-monitoring-system-ebpms-industry-standard-specification

Fill in your details below to get more information from the team at Mac’s Truck Rental, whether you’re looking into contract hire or simply want to know more about one of our trucks.

In view of the ever-increasing awareness of the impact of exhaust emissions on the environment; the European Emissions Standards policy staged the introduction of increasingly stringent standards for all new trucks sold in the European Union and EEA member states to meet. With climate control being a long-standing concern; this policy should have been lauded by everyone, but it did (and still can) cause confusion for those in the haulage and logistics industry for it was a complicated issue for the average Joe.

With swings in the new and used vehicle markets seen because of the different Euro standards and their potential effect on businesses, it is important for those who own or are thinking of owning a truck to know exactly what these standards are and whether their vehicles meet them through being a new-build or conversion. The most recent Euro Standard is Euro 6 which came into effect in January 2014 with Euro 5,4,3 and 2 being previous standards; many of these former Euro Standards are still on the road.

So, if you are buying a used truck – how do you tell the Euro Standard?

Look at the truck

Although you may think the Euro Standard would be printed on the log book or V5 of the vehicle – that would actually be too easy! The DVLA do not receive any budgeting to do this, and so an inspection of the vehicle is usually necessary. For versions 4 and above; many helpful manufacturers put a badge on the truck, but frustratingly this is not always the case.

Turning to the internet

TfL that will inform you whether a lorry meets the London low emissions zone, but this will not tell you if your vehicle is a Euro 2,3,4 or 5. Businesses beware! Trucks have to be a minimum of Euro 4 to operate within London’s low emission zone or face paying a £200 daily fine.

Derogation

This scheme allowed vehicles that didn’t appear to meet the newest incoming legislation of Euro 6 to be re-registered after 31st December 2013, but this was a carefully controlled process carried out within a short window of time where pre-defined rules had to be met. This only applied to new vehicles but Euro 5 trucks were able to be registered as meeting Euro 6 particle emissions (PM) for one year after that date provided they met legislative requirements applicable at their first time of registration. This meant that any vehicles manufactured in the October, November and December 2013 HAD to be registered before the 31st December to be considered Euro 6.

The table below is only a guide, and the onus is on the buyer to personally confirm the Euro Level of a truck they are wishing to buy. An older vehicle may have had a conversion to meet LEZ (low emission zone) standards, or it may have been a truck that is older than when it was actually registered.

Quick Guide to Euro Levels

Euro Level	Year	Reg Codes within Euro Level
Euro 0	1989 Oct	F, G
Euro 1	1993 Oct	K, L, M, N some P
Euro 2	1996 Oct	Some P, R, S, T, V, W some X
Euro 3	2000 Oct	Some X, Y, 51, 02, 52, 03, 53, 04, 54, 05 some 55
Euro 4	2006 Oct	Some 56, 07, 57, 08, 58, 09 some 59
Euro 5 & EEV	2009 Oct	Some 59, 10, 60, 11, 61, 12, 62, 13 some 63
Euro 6	2014 Jan	Few 13, some 63, 14 onwards

Pre-Euro 4

With trucks approaching 13 years old it is perhaps wise for businesses to think about replacing with a new fangled Euro 4, 5 or 6 vehicle.

Euro 4 and 5

These standards were launched fairly close to each other with similar technology to meet required standards with either SCR or EGR technology used. SCR needs a blue liquid to run.

Euro 6

The PM limit is half that for Euro 5, so Euro 6 means business but trucks meeting these standards means that they are naturally pricier to buy and more expensive to run.

Mac’s Trucks Euro Ratings

After a 20-year journey involving six tiers of European emissions limits, some truck exhausts can now be described as near zero due to new technology and choices. Mac’s Truck Rental has also moved with the times and supply brand new and quality used vehicles via flexible payment terms to meet the latest Euro Standards.