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Pick-ups may need to abide by van speed limits warns Arval
Date: 16 August 2016 | Author: Daniel Puddicombe
Large pick-ups that are starting to arrive in the UK may have to abide by light commercial vehicle speed limits, leasing company Arval has warned.
Double-cab variants of models such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok can exceed the 2040kg unladen weight limit for dual purpose vehicles, meaning they are no longer covered by car speed limits.
According to Arval, these vehicles are often bought as fleet alternatives to passenger cars. Commercial vehicles are not allowed to travel faster than 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways.
"Pick-ups sold in the UK have been getting bigger and heavier for several years, driven by demand for increased payload from both fleet and domestic buyers," said Eddie Parker, commercial vehicle consultant at Arval. "The result of this is that, at least technically, they have become light commercial vehicles in the eyes of the law and should be sticking to the lower speed limits."
"Confusingly, there is also a possibility that individual examples of the same model might fall either side of the 2040kg limit because of the fitting of optional equipment such as pick-up tops that are needed for some fleet applications," he added. "It is definitely a grey area and one of which fleet managers operating pick-ups should be aware."
