Charnwood Council to tighten taxi emissions and testing rules from April 2026
- Perry Richardson
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Charnwood Borough Council is set to introduce stricter emissions standards and revised vehicle testing rules for hackney carriage and private hire vehicles from April 2026, following approval of a comprehensive licensing policy review by councillors. The changes will phase out older, higher-emission vehicles over the next four years and bring local licensing rules closer into line with national guidance and neighbouring authorities.
Under the revised policy, all newly licensed taxis and private hire vehicles must meet at least Euro 5 emissions standards from 1 April 2026. From April 2027, new vehicles will be required to meet Euro 6 standards, with existing vehicles given longer transition periods. By April 2028, all non-wheelchair accessible licensed vehicles will need to be Euro 6 compliant at renewal, while wheelchair accessible vehicles will have until April 2030 to meet the same standard.
Council officers said the approach balances environmental objectives with the operational realities of the trade. At present, the licensed fleet includes 12 Euro 4 vehicles, alongside 50 Euro 5 and 93 Euro 6 vehicles. Four Euro 4 vehicles, including wheelchair accessible models, are expected to be directly affected in the first year of implementation if not replaced.
The policy review follows updates to national best practice issued by the Department for Transport, which encourage licensing authorities to promote cleaner vehicles, review emissions thresholds and maintain policies under regular review. Officers also benchmarked Charnwood’s approach against other Leicestershire councils, all of which have already moved to Euro 6 standards for new vehicle licences.
Licensing committee approves phased move to Euro 6 standards, revised testing regime and policy updates aligned with national guidance
Alongside emissions changes, the council will amend vehicle testing requirements. Vehicles up to three years old will move to annual compliance testing, while those aged three years and over will continue to require testing every six months. The change is intended to reduce costs for operators of newer vehicles while maintaining closer oversight of older cars.
The council will also relax its approach to retesting older vehicles that fail compliance checks. Vehicles over six years old will be permitted one re-test after an initial failure, replacing the current requirement to submit a new licence application immediately. Officers said this would reduce administrative burden without weakening safety standards.
Proposals to introduce discounted licence fees for fully electric vehicles were considered but ultimately rejected. While three out of four benchmarked councils offer such incentives, Charnwood officers concluded that a discount would provide only a limited stimulus for fleet electrification without wider charging infrastructure and more substantial financial support.
The revised policy will take effect from 1 April 2026 and will be formally published and communicated to licence holders in advance. Officers noted that further changes may follow later in the decade, particularly if national minimum standards for taxi and private hire licensing are introduced or if local government reorganisation in Leicestershire proceeds as planned. The policy was approved by the council’s licensing committee as part of its statutory duty to regulate the trade and promote public safety and environmental objectives.
