Major Changes Ahead SVA Becomes IVA - Driving, transport and ...

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.

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).
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.

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:
www.direct.gov.uk
www.transportoffice.gov.uk/IVA-manuals
or contact VOSA:
0300 123 9000
enquiries@vosa.gov.uk