Written questions by Yemm.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) electric and (b) hybrid vehicles that (i) do not have an Audible Vehicle Alert System installed and (ii) have an Audible Vehicle Alert System installed with a pause function.

All new vehicles are subject to type approval. Vehicle approval requirements were introduced on 1 July 2021 mandating Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) on new types of quiet electric and hybrid vehicles. The use of pause switched to temporarily disable the AVAS have been prohibited for new vehicles being placed on the market from September 2023. Vehicles sold prior to these dates are only required to meet the approval requirements mandated at the time they were placed on the market.The department does not have any figures for the number of vehicles with AVAS, or that have a pause switch.As part of compliance and enforcement, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s Market Surveillance Unit (MSU) inspects and tests vehicles and components on the market to ensure they comply with environmental and safety standards. The MSU conducts an annual programme of surveillance, including physical tests and inspections, as well as responding to intelligence provided by industry or the general public.

What (a) monitoring and (b) enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure manufacturers comply with the prohibition on pause functions in Audible Vehicle Alert Systems for new (i) electric and (ii) hybrid vehicles registered from 1 September 2023.

All new vehicles are subject to type approval. Vehicle approval requirements were introduced on 1 July 2021 mandating Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) on new types of quiet electric and hybrid vehicles. The use of pause switched to temporarily disable the AVAS have been prohibited for new vehicles being placed on the market from September 2023. Vehicles sold prior to these dates are only required to meet the approval requirements mandated at the time they were placed on the market.The department does not have any figures for the number of vehicles with AVAS, or that have a pause switch.As part of compliance and enforcement, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s Market Surveillance Unit (MSU) inspects and tests vehicles and components on the market to ensure they comply with environmental and safety standards. The MSU conducts an annual programme of surveillance, including physical tests and inspections, as well as responding to intelligence provided by industry or the general public.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent car insurance premiums from being increased for drivers involved in no-fault accidents.

The Department has not assessed the potential merits of legislation to prevent premiums rising for drivers involved in no fault accidents.The setting and the adjustment of premiums following a claim are commercial decisions for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience and the Government does not generally intervene or seek to control the market.Drivers need to declare incidents that they are involved in, regardless of who or what was at fault. As a result, their premiums may increase, as insurance works on the basis of whether a claim is paid out under the policy, regardless of fault. Where an insurer is able to recover its outlay from the other party, the increase might be readjusted in the future.