News Release Page Title

12 April 2001

SAM FOSTER ANNOUNCES NEW REGISTRATION AND TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN IMPORTED CARS

Measures to improve road safety standards and environmental protection were announced today, by Mr Sam Foster MLA, Minister of the Environment.

The measures involve new registration and testing requirements for passenger cars that have not been type approved to UK or European standards. Known as the Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) scheme, it is designed to ensure that passenger cars, which are not type approved, meet appropriate safety and environmental standards.

Mr Foster explained: "The SVA scheme will apply to non-EC compliant passenger cars, which are under 10 years old and are being registered in Northern Ireland for the first time. It will bring arrangements for first registration of these vehicles in Northern Ireland into line with arrangements introduced in Great Britain from 1 February 2001. This ensures that passenger cars whose registration is being transferred between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will meet the same registration and testing requirements. The measures are designed to improve road safety and environmental standards.

"The type of vehicles SVA will apply to includes kit cars and imported vehicles built for the South-East Asian or North American markets, which have not been manufactured to UK or EC standards.

"There is no change to the arrangements for importing type-approved vehicles. All vehicles with a valid manufacturer’s Certificate of Conformity for either European Whole Vehicle Type Approval or National Type Approval can be imported from anywhere in the world without further inspection (other than vehicles requiring MOT test certificate if 4 or more years old)."

SVA will be introduced in Northern Ireland in 2 stages:

Stage 1

From 1 June 2001 a standard SVA test will be introduced for amateur-built passenger cars, kit cars, personal and commercial imports and passenger cars entering service in very low volume which will ensure that these vehicles have been designed and constructed to appropriate safety and environmental standards before being registered for use on public roads.

The rules for personal import will also change from 1 June 2001. A Northern Ireland resident who wishes to import a passenger car as a personal import will be required to have lived outside the United Kingdom for at least 12 months and to have used the vehicle outside the United Kingdom for at least 6 months.

Stage 2

From 1 August 2001 enhanced technical standards will apply to passenger cars imported by commercial importers and which have not been type approved to UK or European standards. Before these vehicles can be registered for the first time in Northern Ireland they will need to pass an enhanced test that will require compliance with more demanding standards covering key safety, security (anti-theft) and environmental aspects of vehicle design and construction, such as emissions, noise, brakes and steering.

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:
  1. A vehicle will be subject to the new SVA requirements if it has not been previously registered within the EC nor type approved to UK or European standards and is a car or light passenger vehicle, including dual purpose vehicles, with:-
    • four or more wheels and not more than 8 seats in addition to the driver’s seat; or
    • three wheels and not more than 8 seats in addition to the driver’s seat and a maximum gross weight of more than 1000kg; or
    • three wheels and a maximum gross weight of not more than 1000kg and an unladen weight of more than 410kg (i.e. not a motor cycle) and either having a design speed of more than 50 kph (31 mph) or an engine capacity more than 50cc.

These vehicles will be in at least one of the following categories:
    • left-hand drive vehicle
    • personally imported vehicle not type-approved in the UK or the European Union
    • amateur-built vehicle
    • vehicle manufactured in very low volume
    • vehicle manufactured using parts of a registered vehicle
    • disabled person’s vehicle
    • rebuilt vehicle
    • hearse
    • armoured vehicle.
  1. Enhanced SVA inspections will require compliance with higher standards – as for full type approval or similar – for:

 

exhaust emissions, including carbon dioxide / fuel consumption
  • noise emissions
  • anti-theft protection
  • seat belt anchorages and installation
  • brakes
  • protective steering.
  1. For general advice on the SVA scheme, please contact Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland at 028-7034-1461. For information on test procedures and vehicle standards, please contact the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency at 028-9084-2111. Alternatively, information is given in the Department’s booklet "The Single Vehicle Approval Scheme" which is now on the Department’s web site (www.sva-ni.gov.uk).