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Title:
Vehicle Type Approval and implementation of Directive 2007/46/EC in UK (known as
ECWVTA)
Department:
Department for Transport
Date:
24 Mar 2009
What is the problem under consideration? Why is government intervention
necessary?
The Government must implement the EC Directive on Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EC
WVTA). This affects manufacturers of new road vehicles (including cars, buses and trucks)
by requiring them to submit new vehicles for approval before they can be sold. The EC
regime is designed for high volume producers and is very onerous for low volume
manufacturers. There is a long history of government setting safety and environmental
standards for road vehicles, in order to provide a level playing field for industry, and to
protect consumers, road users and society in general.
What are the policy objectives and the intended effects?
.The main objective of the Directive is to eliminate technical barriers to trade and create a
single market across Europe for buses, coaches, goods vehicles and trailers, whilst
ensuring high standards of safety and environmental protection. The objectives of the UK
implementation are to do this whilst maintaining the diverse range of vehicles offered to the
market by manufacturers today, and ensuring that smaller low volume manufacturers are
not forced out of business due to the high cost of approval testing to European standards.

What policy options have been considered? Please justify any preferred option?
Option 1 - This option involves implementing only the European approval regime, as set out
in the Directive.
Option 2 - This option takes advantage of relaxations in the Directive to offer lower cost
national (UK) approval schemes to help smaller manufacturers building vehicles for sale
only in the UK, including an Individual Approval scheme for unique or bespoke vehicles
allowing one vehicle to be tested at low cost. We strongly favour this option since it
maintains choice, and greatly reduces the risk that small businesses will be forced to close.
When will the policy be reviewed to establish the actual costs and benefits and the
achievement of the desired effects?
The implementation will be complete in 2014 and a review will take place thereafter.

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