Pick-ups will finally be treated as a regular car

The world of pick-ups is no longer what it was a few years ago, when they were rugged vehicles intended basically for work and forgot about the leisure side. Little by little they have evolved, with a better design close to or even similar to that of SUVs, and with equipment that today has nothing to envy in any saloon or SUV, thus becoming a very valid option for combining work and leisure perfectly.

But despite all this, and although sales have indeed increased thanks to their current features, one hurdle remained that, for many people, was an obstacle when buying a pick-up, especially if it was going to be used solely as a daily/leisure car: the treatment the DGT gave to pick-ups.

And I say “gave” because from now on a new world opens up for pick-ups and, obviously, for everyone who had in mind buying a vehicle of this kind. Thanks to an instruction issued by the DGT, pick-ups will be able, for traffic purposes, to be treated in the same way as any car, and not as until now, when they were considered industrial vehicles regardless of whether that was not the purpose for which we acquired them.

Nevertheless, this instruction specifies that the pick-ups that may benefit from it will have to meet certain characteristics: a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 3,500 kilograms, a total height not exceeding 2 metres, and the cargo area and the seats must not be located in the same compartment. Pick-ups that meet these characteristics may travel at 120 km/h on dual carriageways and motorways, use lanes in the opposite direction to the usual one, use HOV lanes, or carry out various overtaking manoeuvres, among other things.

Without a doubt, this is a great step forward, for which many manufacturers of pick-ups such as Nissan, Mitsubishi, Ford or Toyota, among others, have been fighting for some time, and which will surely bring more sales. Even so, it must be borne in mind that this new treatment does not exempt pick-ups from other obligations such as tax obligations or periodic roadworthiness inspection (ITV), for which they will continue to be considered industrial vehicles due to construction criteria in the Vehicle Register.