Revisions to Single Vehicle Approval announced
Release No. 525 - 1 August 2000
Wider consumer choice and enhanced standards for non-type approved cars imported from outside Europe will result from proposals announced today by the DETR and DTI. The introduction of these important changes to SVA are planned in three stages:
Stage 1 - Lift the existing 50 per year model limit as soon as possible. This will allow unrestricted approvals based on British testing, thus increasing competition and consumer choice with the minimum of bureaucracy.
Stage 2 - Tighten the existing personal import rules to prevent abuse by commercial traders and ensure that all imports up to 10 years old are tested, thus improving the standards of second-hand imported cars.
Stage 3 - Introduce enhanced safety, security (anti-theft) and environmental standards for the majority of cars requiring SVA (i.e. those not type approved to European standards) and extend the requirements to light goods vehicles so that they broadly align with those for cars.
Stage 1 is expected on 18 August, Stage 2 in January 2001 and Stage 3 six months later. Precise dates will be confirmed when the legislation has been notified and formally cleared by the European Commission.
Commenting on the changes, Lord Macdonald said:
"These proposals meet the objectives originally set by my predecessor John Reid - to increase competition and choice for car buyers and to improve safety and environmental standards. I am confident the package of proposals are well balanced, practical and fair to all interested parties."
Notes to editors
The SVA scheme was first introduced in July 1997 on a voluntary basis and from July 1998 became compulsory for most cars and light goods vehicles, which had not been type approved to EC or British requirements. These include so-called "grey imports" from outside Europe as well as personal imports and amateur-built kit cars. Under the scheme, commercially traded vehicles (whether domestic or imported) are subject to an annual limit of 50 for each model.
In April 1998, Gavin Strang (then Minister for Transport) decided to maintain the limits but agreed that SVA should be reviewed. This process began in October 1998 with a consultation on outline proposals and resulted in an announcement by John Reid and Stephen Byers in May 1999 (Press Notice 468 of 13 May 1999) to phase out the limits while tightening personal import rules and enhancing the technical standards.
Further consultation on the detailed regulatory changes commenced in October 1999. This resulted in several issues being raised by interested parties in the UK and by the European Commission, especially concerning the timing of the changes but also on some of the proposed enhanced standards and the need for exemptions for minority classes of vehicle.
The proposals have been further amended to take account of these issues and the changes will now take place in three stages (as above). For stage 1, the limits will be removed by a simple amendment to the existing regulations, to be implemented on 18 August. The other changes (stages 2 and 3) will be embodied in a revised set of regulations which will be notified formally to the EC and if accepted, implemented in January 2001. Initially this will tighten the personal imports rules and require all vehicles up to 10 years old to be approved, followed six months later by the introduction of the enhanced standards for most commercially-traded vehicles, be they imports or domestically produced. Minority classes of vehicle such as amateur-built kit cars, specialist vehicles produced in very low numbers, vehicles converted for the disabled, left-hand drive vehicles and genuine personal imports will continue to be approved to the existing SVA standards.
Media enquiries 020 7944 3066; Out of hours: 020 7944 5925 or 5945
Public Enquiries Unit 020 7944 3000
E-mail: press@dft.gsi.gov.uk
Web site http://www.dft.gov.uk/
