The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986

Noise limits—vehicles not subject to regulations 55 to 57, first used on or after 1st April 1970

58.—(1) Save as provided in paragraph (2) and in regulation 59, every wheeled motor vehicle which was first used on or after 1st April 1970 and which is not subject to regulations 55, 56 or 57 shall be so constructed that the sound level (A weighting) in decibels does not exceed the maximum permitted level shown in column 2 of the Table for the relevant class of vehicle shown in column 1, when the noise emitted by it is measured under the specified conditions using the prescribed apparatus.

(2) A vehicle to which this regulation applies is not required to comply with paragraph (1) if at the time of its first use it complied with Community Directive 70/157, 73/350 or 77/212 or, in the case of an agricultural motor vehicle, 74/151, or if it is—

(a) a road roller;

(b) a vehicle specially constructed, and not merely adapted, for the purposes of fighting fires or salvage from fires at or in the vicinity of airports, and having an engine power exceeding 220 kW;

(c) a vehicle propelled by a compression ignition engine and which is of a type in respect of which a type approval certificate has been issued under the Type Approval (Great Britain) Regulations;

(d) a motorcycle first used on or after 1st October 1980, with an engine capacity not exceeding 50 cc which complies with the requirements specified in regulation 57(2); or

(e) an agricultural motor vehicle manufactured on or after 7th February 1975 which complies with the requirements specified in regulation 56(2).

(3) The definition of sound level (A weighting) in decibels contained in clause 2 of the British Standard Specification for Sound Level Meters published by the British Standards Institution on 7th September 1962 under the number BS 3539: 1962, as amended by Amendment Slip No. 1, numbered AMD22 and published on 1st July 1968, applies for the purposes of this regulation.

(4) In this regulation, “the specified conditions” means the method described by the British Standard Method for the Measurement of Noise Emitted by Motor Vehicles published on 24th June 1966 under the number BS 3425:1966.

(5) In this regulation “the prescribed apparatus” means a noise meter—

(a) which is in good working order and complies with the requirements laid down for vehicle noise meters in Part I of the said British Standard Specification numbered BS 3539:1962, as amended by the said Amendment Slip No. 1;

(b) which has, not more than 12 months before the date of the measurement made in accordance with paragraph (1), undergone all the tests for checking calibration applicable in accordance with the Appendix to the said British Standard Specification; and

(c) in respect of which there has been issued by the National Physical Laboratory, the British Standards Institution or the Secretary of State a certificate recording the date on which as a result of those tests the meter was found to comply with the requirements of clauses 8 and 9 of the said British Standard Specification.

TABLE

(regulation 58(1))

1	2	3
Item	Class of vehicle	Maximum permitted sound level in dB(A)
1	Motor cycle of which the cylinder capacity of the engine does not exceed 50 cc	77
2	Motor cycle of which the cylinder capacity of the engine exceeds 50 cc but does not exceed 125 cc	82
3	Motor cycle of which the cylinder capacity of the engine exceeds 125 cc	86
4	Goods vehicle to which regulation 66 applies and which is equipped with a plate complying with the requirements of regulation 66 and showing particulars of a maximum gross weight of more than 3560 kg	89
5	Motor car not being a goods vehicle of the kind described in item 4 above	85
6	Motor tractor	89
7	Locomotive	89
8	Agricultural motor vehicle	89
9	Works truck	89
10	Engineering plant	89
11	Passenger vehicle constructed for the carriage of more than 12 passengers exclusive of the driver	89
12	Any other passenger vehicle	84
13	Any other vehicle	85