BBC News this morning (07/04/2026) carried a report on the dangers of vehicles fitted with Nitrous Oxide kits. (Or Nozz in their parlance)
The report states that such kits can increase the power of a vehicle by threefold.
It appears, according to the report, that the AA are ‘Concerned that “hundreds of lives are being put at risk by young motorists modifying cars with nitrous oxide to boost their power.
The motoring organisation says the kits are dangerous and need tighter controls.

The AA also believes, according to the report that Nitrous is Ok when fitted to Upmarket Ferraris and the like, but not when fitted to “Certain types” of older vehicles’.

Link to BBC Article (Screen grab at bottom of page)

ACE contacted Edmund King, the Chair of the AA to clarify his statements.
This was his response:

Dear Kevin,
Just to clarify that this story came from a BBC Newsbeat investigation.
The comment we made is that some inexperienced new drivers may be putting themselves and others at risk by driving cars that they are not able to handle. An inexperienced driver will be at risk in any car but if that car is modified to go faster then the risk is greater…the driver is pushed beyond their limitations and the car might be.
We are offering free driver training to new drivers at risk. See www.theAA.com/drive-smart
We are not opposed to modifications per se but are concerned that some inexperienced drivers can not cope with them.
All the best,
Edmund

AA comment
The AA has expressed concern that using nitrous oxide systems on street cars is becoming more and more popular amongst some inexperienced drivers. Some new drivers look to nitrous oxide as a way of getting ‘huge power gains with low cost’. Suppliers claim it can provide four times the power of a turbo charger, if not more.

Each year some 500 car occupants between the ages of 16-24 are killed in car crashes. Often these crashes involve multiple deaths and a single car leaving the road, with inexperience a major factor. Artificially boosting the power of a car engine often pushes both the driver and the car beyond their limitations.

Some inexperienced new drivers can’t cope with a cars modified to give three times as much power that they were designed to have.

Small cars, some boosted with three times more power than they were designed to handle, can’t cope with the extra power as it exceeds the ability of the brakes, tyres, car road-holding and even safety protection.

Edmund King, AA president said: “If this becomes widespread, hundreds of lives could be put at risk by nitrous oxide type modifications. Twenty per cent of inexperienced drivers have a crash within 12 months of passing their test. Those crashes are likely to be more severe and potentially fatal if the cars involved are modified beyond their design specifications.”

“Many experienced drivers would not be able to control the extra power pumped into these inappropriate cars. Already, five hundred young car occupants are killed each year in crashes but the likelihood of fatal crashes will increase if inappropriate cars are boosted up with nitrous oxide. The best place for these car modifications is on the race track rather than the public highway.”

An interesting division of opinion between the reporter and the AA.
In fact, the report is a mish-mash of statements and images which is little more than most enthusiasts have come to expect when ‘modified’ vehicles are concerned.

It appears that the ‘concern that the AA were trying to get across related to young, often inexperienced drivers and there is actually little factual evidence to link modified vehicles to accident rates, other than the usual anecdotal ‘Boy Racer’ stories

ACE have contacted the BBC Reporter responsible for the story to ask for his opinions on a number of questions and will report back on whatever he says.