MAJOR CHANGES AHEAD SVA BECOMES IVA From 29 April 2009, the current Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) scheme will undergo some significant changes. This is as a result of the introduction of a new EC Directive. SVA will be replaced by Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA), a revised approval scheme which may be the route of choice for vehicles that are ‘one-offs’ or produced in very small numbers. The approval process for affected passenger cars comes in immediately from 29 April 2009. (Light goods vehicles will remain under the SVA scheme until 29 October 2011.)
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MAJOR CHANGES AHEAD SVA BECOMES IVA
From 29 April 2009, the current Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) scheme will undergo some significant changes. This is as a result of the introduction of a new EC Directive.
SVA will be replaced by Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA), a revised approval scheme which may be the route of choice for vehicles that are ‘one-offs’ or produced in very small numbers.
The approval process for affected passenger cars comes in immediately from 29 April 2009. (Light goods vehicles will remain under the SVA scheme until 29 October 2011.)
WHO WILL IT AFFECT?
The legislative changes will affect anyone who currently uses the SVA scheme. This includes: • Anyone who builds, designs or sells kit cars • Importers of cars from outside the EU (particularly the Far
East and North America) • People re-building older cars with significant modifications • Specialists converting new vehicles into Wheelchair
Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) • Manufacturers producing vehicles in low volumes such as
‘Lotus 7’ type sports cars.
HOW WILL THE APPROVAL PROCESSES DIFFER?
• The time taken – may increase since more areas of the vehicle will be inspected
• The cost - will also increase, particularly for kit cars
However, well-engineered vehicles should continue to pass the inspection without difficulty.
Currently, all vehicles going through SVA examinations are either taken to Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) test stations (including ‘Designated Premises) in Great Britain, or to the Driver Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland. This will still be the case under the new IVA arrangements, as will the fact that, in Great Britain, some private firms will also be able to arrange for their workshops to be appointed as a ‘Designated Premises’ for IVA inspections.
For the first time, components such as the horn, front seat head restraints and reverse gear will become part of the IVA inspection.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
You can help both yourself and the wider industry by doing the following:
Talk to your suppliers – make sure that, if you deal with importers and manufacturers of, for example, specialist sports cars or sellers of kit cars, they know about the changes.
It will also become mandatory from 2010 for every car to have two exterior mirrors and one internal mirror, whereas current regulations only require one external mirror.
HOW MANY LEVELS OF IVA INSPECTIONS WILL THERE BE?
As with the current SVA scheme, there will be two different levels of inspections for IVA. Kit cars and left-hand drive imported cars will be subject to the Basic IVA examination, while right-hand drive models produced on a larger scale (such as imports from the Far East) will be subject to the Normal IVA test.
As the name suggests, a Basic IVA is an inspection based assessment carried out an IVA facility. Normal IVA (which corresponds to the outgoing ESVA) additionally requires documentary evidence of compliance with up to 13 EC Directives.
Alternatively, in both cases compliance with other comparable International standards may be acceptable.
WHEN DOES ALL THIS HAPPEN?
The SVA scheme for passenger cars ceases on 28 April 2009, and the IVA scheme will start the following day on 29 April 2009. SVA certificates will remain valid for up to six months after this date for registering the vehicle with Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Talk to the experts – the VOSA website already contains a draft copy of the IVA Inspection Manual, and trade bodies and specialist publications representing the SVA industry are already in discussions with the Department for Transport (DfT).
BE PREPARED, DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT!
You're strongly advised to learn as much as you can about the differences between SVA and IVA, so that you are ready to gain approval from 29 April 2009.
If you have no approval you will not be able to register your vehicle.
For more information and to view the IVA Inspection Manual go to:
