Legislation ….. It’s getting really tough!

As lots of you are probably now aware, this legislation thing is sadly NOT going to go away! VOSA, the DVLA, the DfT and even the EU are all doing their level best to make it nigh on impossible for lots of us to do what we want to our cars.

SVA (now replaced by BIVA) has been around a long time but had been more associated with the kit-car builders, who had to comply with a set of rules enabling them to register their kit and receive a “Q” plate, or if enough of the donor vehicle remained, retain the original registration.

During the time that SVA has been in operation, many vehicles – that ought to have received a Q plate – were actually wrongly registered, due to all manner of failings and issues that do not need to be aired here.

However, the shortcomings of that system have eventually been identified and addressed by the authorities. In an effort to ensure that vehicles are not built and apparently registered under the wrong identity, EVERYONE needs to know the rules involved in building or modifying vehicles or accept any future consequences if they are not followed.

There are now new or extensively amended sets of rules, tests and test acronyms to bamboozle you. The extent of the modifications done to your vehicle, or the components you have used from a donor vehicle, determine which category of test your vehicle is required to pass. In all cases this is governed by the points system, this is defined by the points accrued from the components used from the donor or project vehicle. To retain the original registration and only require an MOT, the vehicle must achieve a minimum 8 points. Anything less than 8 points places your vehicle in a different test category, depending on what the vehicle is.

These legislation changes are impacting almost every enthusiast, from classic rally to hot rod, from beach buggy to kit-car, from motor-home to mini-bus, from American import to historic racers and everything else in between, so don’t feel that it’s just you being targeted, it’s affecting a whole lot of people with very different vehicles, interests and even businesses.

To help you understand how this all affects you and what you are doing, the Association of Car Enthusiasts is working flat out to ensure that we aren’t all just chewed up and spit out by poorly informed or even misguided rule makers. ACE is working alongside these legislators, asking the right questions and making the right suggestions and observations that will ultimately protect, not only your interests, but those of all the groups listed above.

As the legislation is also being retrospectively applied, a vehicle you may already have on the road, or be considering buying, may be at risk at the time of its next MOT if anything in its documentation or appearance could give cause for concern. Hence, you must be aware of the rules and – if it happens to you – prepared for the worst.

There is too much information to display here, but you can access all the information you need at - http://www.the-ace.org.uk