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EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval - Introduction

Many industrial sectors are subject to some form of approval or certification system but road vehicles are a special case because of their importance to and impact upon society. Within Europe, two systems of type approval have been in existence for over 20 years. One is based around ECE (United Nations) Regulations and provides for approval of vehicle systems and separate components, but not whole vehicles. The other is EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) which is based around EC Directives and provides for the approval of whole vehicles, in addition to vehicle systems, and separate components.

EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval is a way of making sure vehicles are safe to use on the road and respect environmental considerations, without having to inspect and test every single one.

Under the EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval system, a prototype 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.

Currently EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval applies to passenger cars. Over the next few years EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval will be extended to cover all new road vehicles and trailers. The new Directive, 2007/46/EC, will also cover national schemes for small series vehicles and individual approval.

On Monday 2 June 2008, the Department for Transport began a consultation exercise on new construction requirements to be met by by manufacturers of vans, trucks, minibuses, buses, coaches, trailers, motorhomes and other special-purpose vehicles. The consultation reflects the requirements of 2007/46/EC. Please note that the consultation exercise has now closed (22 August 2008).

The press notice relating to the consultation can be found at:

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=369170&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False

Results of the consultation can be found at:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/sectionecwholevehicletype/publicconsultation

Some further information - including into force dates can be found in our FAQ section: ECWVTA - Frequently Asked Questions