New sulfonamide-derived hydroxamic acids 7–11 have been developed as chiral ligands for the V-catalysed asymmetric epoxidation, showing high reactivity at subzero temperatures and moderate to good enantioselectivity. The strong accelerating effect exhibited by the ligands of this type can be attributed to the sulfonamide functionality. A range of cinnamyl type allylic alcohols were epoxidised with up to 74% ee.