Universal Motors - Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) Tests for imported cars from Japan

Please let us give you a quote to Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) test your vehicle for registration.

The Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) scheme is a pre-registration inspection for cars and light goods vehicles that have not been type approved to British or European standards. The main purpose of the scheme is to ensure that these vehicles have been designed and constructed to suitable safety standards before they can be used on public roads. Your vehicle will be subject to the SVA scheme if it is one of the following:

Commercial Import
Personal Import
Amateur Built Vehicle
Very Low Volume (VLV) Vehicles
A vehicle manufactured using parts from a previously registered vehicle
Hearse
Armoured Vehicle
Rebuilt Vehicle
Left Hand Drive Vehicle (imported)

SVA checks that vehicles constructed for non-European Union markets comply with British Law; vehicles outwardly similar to European specification models, but intended for other markets, can often be unsuitable for use in Britain without at least some modification. SVA does recognise some foreign systems and components where they are considered to have foreign approval to a standard that compares to the SVA technical standards.

Within the SVA Scheme there are two levels of test. The Standard SVA test and the Enhanced SVA test (ESVA). The ESVA test is in addition to the Standard SVA test although compliance with certain aspects of ESVA is considered to cover compliance in the same subject in Standard SVA.

In broad terms the Standard SVA test applies to vehicles falling within the specific categories from 2 to 9 inclusive above. The ESVA test is applicable to vehicles specifically falling into category 1 above (except left hand drive vehicles which are still subject to Standard SVA) and vehicles not falling into one of the other specific categories.

The criteria for classification as a Personal Import is that the applicant must have been resident in the country of export for at least 12 months and have owned the vehicle for at least 6 months. Satisfactory evidence of these two criteria must be produced at the time of application. Most imported vehicles that are not true personal imports will require Enhanced SVA.