Which Vehicles Need a Tachograph? UK Rules by Weight (2026)

By National Compliance Training · Published 13 August 2026 · Last updated 14 August 2026

In 2026, any goods vehicle over 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass (including any trailer) operating under assimilated drivers’ hours rules must use a tachograph, and from 1 July 2026 the requirement extends to vans over 2.5 tonnes on international hire or reward journeys. Vehicles under 2.5 tonnes never need one, and most vans on UK-only work remain exempt. Buses and coaches need one on services where the route exceeds 50km.

Whether a vehicle needs a tachograph is decided by three things: its weight, what it is used for, and where it travels. This guide works through the rules weight band by weight band, then covers the exemptions that catch operators out. If your fleet includes vans affected by the July 2026 change, our guide to the new tachograph requirements for vans covers that change in depth.

How do you know if a vehicle needs a tachograph?

The simple test on GOV.UK is this: a tachograph must be used whenever the vehicle and journey come under assimilated drivers’ hours rules (previously called EU rules) or AETR rules. If your operation falls under GB domestic rules instead, or under one of the specific exemptions, no tachograph is required, although you must still keep records of hours by other means on domestic work. So the real question is which set of drivers’ hours rules applies, and that comes down mainly to weight.

Do vans under 2.5 tonnes need a tachograph?

No. Vehicles with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 2.5 tonnes or less, including any trailer, sit outside the assimilated rules entirely, both domestically and internationally. Drivers of small vans on business use still fall under GB domestic drivers’ hours rules and the general working time rules, but there is no tachograph requirement at any point.

Do 2.5 to 3.5 tonne vans need a tachograph in 2026?

This is the band where the rules changed. From 1 July 2026, assimilated drivers’ hours rules apply to light goods vehicles over 2.5 tonnes MAM (including any trailer) used for international transport of goods for hire or reward, including cabotage within the UK and EU. Affected vans must be fitted with a Smart Tachograph 2, and their drivers must follow the full EU-style hours regime: 9 hours daily driving (10 twice a week), 45-minute breaks after 4.5 hours, and weekly rest rules.

• UK-only work: no change. A 3.5 tonne van doing domestic deliveries within Great Britain does not need a tachograph and stays on GB domestic rules.
• Own-account exemption. Even internationally, vans in this band carrying the operator’s own goods are exempt where driving is not the driver’s main activity and the transport is ancillary to the business, for example a tradesperson carrying their own tools and materials.
• Driver CPC is still not required for these drivers on a standard category B licence, a point widely misunderstood. Tachograph rules and Driver CPC are separate regimes.

Do vehicles over 3.5 tonnes need a tachograph?

Almost always, yes. Goods vehicles where the maximum permissible mass, including any trailer or semi-trailer, exceeds 3.5 tonnes come under assimilated drivers’ hours rules on both UK and UK-EU journeys, and must record all driving on a tachograph. This is the long-standing HGV position and it also catches combinations: a 3 tonne van towing a 1 tonne trailer is a 4 tonne combination and is in scope while the trailer is attached.

The type of tachograph required depends on when the vehicle was first registered. Broadly, vehicles registered from June 2019 needed a smart tachograph, those from February 2024 a Smart Tachograph 2, and new registrations from late December 2025 the full Smart 2 specification. See our companion guide to the 2026 tachograph changes for the retrofit position on international work.

Do buses and coaches (PSVs) need a tachograph?

Passenger vehicles follow the same logic. Buses and coaches on regular services where the route length does not exceed 50km fall under GB domestic rules and do not need to use a tachograph. Coaches on longer regular services, non-regular services such as private hire and tours, and international passenger work fall under assimilated rules and must use one. Domestic bus rules have their own limits: 10 hours driving in a working day and a maximum 16-hour spread, with prescribed breaks and rest.

Which vehicles are exempt from tachograph rules?

GOV.UK lists a long set of exemptions and national derogations from the assimilated rules. The most commonly relevant ones include:

• Vehicles that cannot exceed 40 km/h, and vehicles used by the armed forces, fire services or in emergency and rescue operations
• Breakdown vehicles operating within 100km of their base
• Vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes carrying materials or equipment for the driver’s own use at work within a 100km radius, where driving is not the main activity
• Agricultural, horticultural, forestry and fishery vehicles within 100km of base
• Milk collection from farms, and door-to-door household refuse collection
• Vehicles used for non-commercial carriage of goods, and historic vehicles over 25 years old used non-commercially
• Zero-emission goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes but not over 4.25 tonnes (Great Britain only), and gas or electric vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes within 100km of base
• Vehicles used exclusively on islands under 2,300 square kilometres not linked to the mainland

Exemptions are use-based, not vehicle-based: the same 7.5 tonne truck can be exempt on Monday carrying the driver’s own equipment locally and in scope on Tuesday delivering goods for hire or reward. Always check the full list in the DVSA drivers’ hours guidance before relying on an exemption.

Frequently asked questions

Does a 3.5 tonne van need a tachograph in the UK?

Not for UK-only work. A van at exactly 3.5 tonnes MAM needs a tachograph only if it is used for international hire or reward journeys (from 1 July 2026), or if towing a trailer takes the combination over 3.5 tonnes on in-scope work.

Does towing a trailer change the tachograph rules?

Yes. The weight test is the maximum permissible mass of the whole combination. A van under 3.5 tonnes towing a trailer that takes the combination above 3.5 tonnes comes under assimilated rules and needs a tachograph while towing, unless an exemption applies.

Do motorhomes or vans used privately need a tachograph?

No. Non-commercial carriage of goods in vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes is exempt, so private use, hobby use and genuine volunteering do not trigger the rules.

What happens if I drive an in-scope vehicle without a tachograph?

DVSA can issue fixed penalties at the roadside, prohibit the vehicle from continuing, and refer operators to the Traffic Commissioner, which puts the operator licence at risk. International enforcement bodies can also fine UK drivers abroad.

Do exempt drivers still have to follow drivers’ hours rules?

Yes. Work that is outside the assimilated rules normally falls under GB domestic rules instead: a maximum of 10 hours driving and 11 hours duty in a day for goods vehicles, with records still required.

This article was published in August 2026 by National Compliance Training. Regulations change, so always check the latest guidance from DVSA and GOV.UK for the current position. This article does not constitute legal advice.