New car speed limiter laws from 7 July: what you need to know
A new EU law designed to reduce speeding and improve road safety will apply to all new cars sold in the European Union from 7 July 2024.
The law requires manufacturers to fit intelligent speed assistance (ISA) technology to their cars, but they can implement it in various ways – including automatically limiting the car's speed.
When questioned by Which?, the Department for Transport confirmed that the new law would apply to Northern Ireland, but that it would not be mandated in England, Scotland or Wales. However, it's likely new cars sold in the UK will still have ISA technology as standard.
Read on to find out more about the law, the technology itself and how you’ll be affected.
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What is intelligent speed assistance?
ISA detects the speed limit on roads using a combination of GPS and cameras that are designed to recognise speed signs. It then uses this information to either limit your speed or produce a visual or audible warning when you go over the limit.
ISA actually became a legal requirement for all new car models that were introduced from July 2022 (such as the Honda ZR-V, Volkswagen ID.7 and Volvo EX30). From 7 July 2024, this law will apply to all new cars sold in the EU and Northern Ireland regardless of when they were first launched (such as the Volkswagen Touran, which was launched in 2015 but is still available to buy new).
Manufacturers can fit cars with four different ISA systems (sound warnings, vibration warnings, feedback through the accelerator pedal or a direct speed control function), which are intended to prevent the driver from exceeding the detected speed limit. Regardless of the system chosen by the manufacturer, the new law states that it must activate automatically each time you start your car and can’t be permanently deactivated.
If your car’s ISA system is set to automatically limit the speed you travel at, you'll be able to temporarily deactivate it by pressing hard on the accelerator, but it will be reactivated every time you start your car.
Why is the new law being introduced?
This change is being introduced by the European Union and is based on recommendations by the European Transport Safety Council, a not-for-profit organisation that argues that the introduction of mandatory ISA technology across all new cars would reduce European road deaths by 20%.
The European Commission says the introduction of ISA could reduce both insurance costs and CO2 emissions, and may also help to slow down older cars that don’t have ISA.
While the UK is no longer part of the European Union, the law will still be mandated in Northern Ireland. Although this means it’s not a legal requirement for new cars sold in England, Scotland or Wales to have ISA fitted, the likelihood is that most manufacturers will include it.
How accurate is speed camera recognition?
ISA is dependent on GPS and car cameras accurately detecting the speed limit of the road you’re travelling on.
However, we've found ISA to be unreliable on many of the cars we've tested. For example, we’ve had multiple instances where a car has registered the speed limit as being 80mph in 30mph zones (pictured).
How has the car industry reacted?
We asked a number of major car brands what their plan for the UK was.
Vauxhall told us that all of its cars sold in the UK will comply with the EU law, and that the default setting will be for ISA to be permanently enabled. Kia said that from its 2025 model year, all of its UK cars will be fitted with ISA and that most of its 2024 cars already come fitted with ISA.
Commenting on the fact that the law won’t apply to new cars sold in Great Britain, Mike Hawes from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) told us: ‘The UK has some of the safest roads in the world, but action to improve our record still further should be welcomed. Bearing in mind the heavily integrated nature of the UK and European automotive sectors, regulatory divergence is not advantageous for either party.’
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