Disclaimer:

Please note : Any views, ideas or statements made here are my interpretation of the rules and any individual must satisfy themselves that they have interpreted the rules correctly and not just relied on my edited notes.

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The SVA, (Single vehicle Approval ) was introduced in 1997 to ensure the safety and conformity of specialist and imported vehicles which included kit cars.  The IVA (Individual Vehicle Approval) replaced this when it was introduced in May 2009.  The IVA included other vehicle categories and also expanded the requirements to the test in many areas.

The IVA can seem quite daunting, there are 40 or more sections in the 282 page document, but bear in mind its introduction was to make our kit cars safer for us and other road users and some say has added credibility to the kit car market. I don’t propose to go through the IVA requirements, there are numerous sites and forums that will answer your queries, if you do want to download a copy of the IVA Manual click on my ‘links’ tab and then click on IVA Manual, best to download it rather than print it off.

Once you have completed your build and made the appointment you are allowed to drive the car to your local VOSA Centre ( Vehicle and Operators Services Agency ), you need to insure your car but at this stage you wont have any tax, MOT or registration plates.  Some builders do put their kit through an MOT prior to the IVA  to set up the tracking steering lights etc. Upon successfully passing the IVA you will be issued with an Individual Approval Certificate (IAC) you will send this to the DVLA  along with the V55/5 or V55/4 form, form V627/1,  photographic evidence to prove it is an amateur build and your insurance certificate,  you will then be issued with either an age related plate, a new registration or a Q plate.

This is how the rules on which type of plate will be issued are decided upon;

New Current Registration – This is only possible if you can prove that your car is made from all new components, there is one exception to this rule for amateur builders, in that one major component is allowed to be reconditioned ‘as new’,  this must be backed up by the relevent documents.  You will then receive a new registration mark.

Age Related Plate – If you have built your kit using one donor car and used a number of major components from that car then an age related plate will be issued, it wont be the actual number from the donor car but a registration from the same year. This will then allow you to change the number to a personalised plate should you wish providing that the new personalised number is not newer than the prefix assigned.

Q Plate – If you build your kit using a number of secondhand parts from a variety of different sources, then the car is classified as of   ‘Indeterminate origin’  and a Q plate will be assigned.  Important note, a Q plate can not be transferred, so if you have a personalised plate you can’t put it on your Q plate car, your kit will be stuck with a Q for ever.

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