when will the legislation come into force?

Department/Agency Website Address

Department for Transport www.dft.gov.uk/roads/vehicles/typeapproval

DVLA www.dvla.gov.uk

DVTA www.dvtani.gov.uk

VCA www.vca.gov.uk

VOSA www.transportoffice.gov.uk

Currently the Directive is still with the European Parliament for approval and no definite dates have been set for its introduction and entry in to force. From the point when it does enter in to force member states will be given 18 months to transpose the Directive into their national legislation. We plan to provide a more definite timetable in January 2007.

so why do I need to worry? Although on the face of it, changes to the legislation might seem a long way off, you need to understand the impact it will have on your business. You may find it necessary to re-engineer your product to meet new test requirements and you know how long this can take. You may also need to take a good look at your organisational structure to ensure that staff have the relevant training and skills to adapt to any changes.

what is DfT doing?We are working closely with our colleagues from the other member states to finalise the wording of the Directive. The national schemes are being developed and specific elements are being discussed at a Ministerial level. In parallel DfT and DoE(NI) along with DVLA, DVTA, VCA and VOSA are involved in major programmes of work to implement the national legislation and infrastructure needed for them to successfully deliver the services required by industry to meet the requirements of the Directive.

EC whole vehicle type approval

how can I get involved?Everyone will have the opportunity to comment on the national schemes when DfT goes out to statutory consultation. Details of when the consultation will take place and how you can be involved will be posted on the DfT website in due course or you can e-mail your contact details to us at ecwvtaconsult@dft.gsi.gov.uk

where can I go to find out more information?You can keep up to date with developments regarding ECWVTA by visiting our website and those of are partners.

in the beginning

The basis of a European wide approval scheme was introduced in the 1970’s and we now have a scheme covering cars. The benefits of such a scheme known as European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) are clear and include:

• Consistency of environmental and safety standards.

• Independent validation of performance against legislative requirements.

• A level playing field for companies wishing to sell to Europe, reducing potential barriers to trade.

Over the next couple of years legislation will be introduced to extend the scope of European wide approval from just cars to lorries, minibuses, buses and coaches, and trailers. If you are involved in either the manufacture or sale of such vehicles, you will need to understand how this will affect you.

what is ECWVTA?The European approval scheme is based on the concept of ‘type approval’, which assesses the environmental and safety performance of a vehicle without having to inspect and test every single one.

At its heart is third-party assessment of compliance with the performance standards outlined in a number of separate EC Directives.

Under the ECWVTA system, a production sample is tested. If it passes the tests and the production arrangements also pass inspection, then vehicles or components of the same type are approved for production and sale within Europe, without further testing.

EC whole vehicle type approval

no approval, no salethe vehicle approval process is changing - be ready.

Almost since their invention, road vehicles have been subject to safety and environmental regulation. This has increased over time to minimise the impact of the increasing numbers of vehicles on our society...

EC whole vehicle type approval

who will be affected by the change in legislation?All manufacturers of vehicles in the categories outlined below will be affected. It will apply to all elements of vehicle builds, i.e. those who build chassis AND those who build a body of any description on it before selling it to the customer.

It is also likely to affect importers of commercial vehicles from inside and outside of Europe.

If you are planning to make, import or sell vehicles in the UK or import vehicles for sale in the UK or any other member state, you must have the appropriate approval. Without it, vehicles cannot be licensed for use on the roads. In other words no approval, no sale!

Anyone trying to take a product into other EU member states with different national schemes will know how difficult this can be. A key objective of ECWVTA is the harmonisation of the European market. Thus if your vehicles have been granted the relevant EC type-approval, no other member state can refuse to register or permit the sale and entry into service of the new vehicles (on grounds of construction) if they are accompanied by a valid certificate of conformity (COC).

A certificate of conformity is, in effect, a statement by the manufacturer that the vehicle conforms to the relevant EC type-approval. Member states cannot refuse to register vehicles for use on their roads if they comply with a properly issued type-approval.

Category Definition

M Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers.

M1Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat.

M2Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat, and having a maximum mass not exceeding 5 tonnes.

M3Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of passengers, comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat, and having a maximum mass exceeding 5 tonnes.

N Motor vehicles with at least four wheels designed and constructed for the carriage of goods.

N1Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes

N2Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes.

N3Vehicles designed and constructed for the carriage of goods and having a maximum mass exceeding 12 tonnes.

O Trailers (including semi-trailers).

O1Trailers with a maximum mass not exceeding 0.75 tonnes.

O2Trailers with a maximum mass exceeding 0.75 tonnes but not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.

O3Trailers with a maximum mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 10 tonnes.

O4Trailers with a maximum mass exceeding 10 tonnes.

what are the benefits to me?

The UK Government realises that there are a significant number of small to medium businesses throughout the UK that build vehicles in small volumes or on an individual basis that are not for export to the European market and therefore the wider benefits of ECWVTA do not apply.

In addition, a number of national manufacturers do not produce sufficient volumes of vehicles to make it cost effective to adopt ECWVTA if it were the only option. The Government has therefore agreed in principle that there should be national schemes for small series and individual vehicle approval. The table opposite shows how the schemes available will change in the next few years.

The national schemes whilst maintaining the same technical standards as defined in the EC Directive, will aim to keep the cost of compliance affordable by adopting a pragmatic approach to proof of compliance and documentation and also proposing where appropriate alternative technical requirements.

The UK National Approval will not automatically be accepted elsewhere in Europe. You will have to apply to the type-approval authority in the relevant member state and they will decide whether the type-approval meets their national requirements.

what if I only sell in the UK?

Category Current Situation The Future

Cars ECWVTA

National scheme:

• Small series type approval (SSTA) (500 per type per year)

• Single vehicle approval (SVA)

ECWVTA

EU SSTA limit of 1000

National scheme:

• Small series type approval (75 per type per year)

• Single Vehicle Approval (SVA)

Buses and Coaches

National scheme (COIF) for Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) only

C&U for private use vehicles (no pre-service inspection)

ECWVTA for all buses and coaches (PSVs and private use) or

New national scheme for all buses and coaches (PSVs and private use):

• Small series type approval for buses and coaches (250 per type per year)

• Individual Vehicle Approval

ECWVTA for all minibuses, buses and coaches (PSVs and private use) or New national scheme for all minibuses, buses and coaches (PSVs and private use)

Goods Vehicles

National scheme (GVNTA)

Single Vehicle Approval (N1 Only)

ECWVTA or

New national scheme:

• Small series type approval for goods vehicles 250 or 500 (depending on category) per year

• Individual Vehicle Approval

Trailers Construction and Use (C&U)

No pre-service inspection or checks

In-service inspection of heavy trailers only

Nothing at all for small trailers, caravans

Applies to all trailers before entering into service

ECWVTA or

New national scheme:

• Small series type approval for trailers 250 or 500 (depending on type) per year

• Individual Vehicle Approval