How new UK car 'mandatory' speed limiters would work - and how likely they are to actually happen

New rules for motorists come into play in July this year - and drivers have been warned about the dangers of trying to ‘bypass’ them. Since 6 July 2022, speed limiters have been a legal requirement for all new cars manufactured in Europe.

The tech - referred to as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) - uses GPS and traffic sign data to warn a driver when they’re exceeding the speed limit. Depending on the type of system fitted, the warnings range from symbols on the dash and audible ‘bongs’, to a reduction in engine power.

The rules concerning speed limiters are being tightened from 7th July 2024 onwards - with all cars sold in UK showrooms required to have ISA fitted, regardless of where the vehicle was actually launched. Graham Conway, Managing Director at UK leasing firm Select Car Leasing, says the fear is that motorists could seek to bypass the ISA system by ‘uncoding’ it from the car’s ECU via the vehicle’s On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) port - just like you might take your car to a specialist to have it ‘chipped’ in order to eke more power from the engine.

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What are the warnings?

But he warns doing so could have serious - and costly - repercussions, potentially voiding a manufacturer’s warranty and also falling foul of insurers. He says: “While modern Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) systems are controversial, they’re here to keep all of us safe on the road and their importance shouldn’t be underestimated.

“Many systems are active and audible by default each time a car is turned on. That has prompted some motorists to attempt to bypass the ISA by having it uncoded, so that the system is turned off by default. We’ve seen examples of motorists seeking such help on many online forums.

“While it might seem like an innocent change to the car’s set-up, doing so could have serious implications. A car is fitted with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) like ISA for a very good reason, and a manufacturer could take a very dim view of that technology being bypassed. You could very easily void a manufacturer’s warranty by doing so.

“That’s also not to mention the potential electrical gremlins you could unleash by having any car ‘chipped’, which could also see you falling foul of a warranty. Then there are insurance complications. A car will be rated by an insurance company according to its safety and in accordance with its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, of which ISA is one.

“If you alter the function of ISA, and you’re involved in an accident, worst-case circumstances could see your insurer refusing to pay out.”

Could it happen in the UK really?

The European Union introduced the regulations under the EU ‘General Safety Rule’. And while GSR has not been adopted in the UK - yet - manufacturers who build cars in Europe are not removing ISA specifically for UK-bound cars.

How would the technology work?

A speed limiter can be deactivated while driving - typically by pressing down hard on the accelerator - if it mis-reads the local speed limit and the driver wants to manually override the system.

But ISA technology is often reactivated whenever the car is restarted.