4.1 INTRODUCTION

• Type approval provides a common system for ensuring vehicle components and vehicles meet prescribed standards across national frontiers.
• EU Directive 2007/46/EC provided the base European legislation for approval of vehicles and trailers that are mass produced, built in small numbers or individually.
• The Directive came into force for heavy trucks and trailers in October 2012, according to the training material.
• The process checks relevant environmental and safety standards and allows an approved vehicle/trailer type to be used across member states without further testing in each country.
• The three basic approval routes covered are ECWVTA, NSSTA and IVA.

4.2 ECWVTA

• ECWVTA = European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval.
• The training material describes ECWVTA as the realistic approval scheme for manufacturers producing and selling large numbers of vehicles or trailers in the UK or across the EU.
• The manufacturer applies for whole vehicle type approval for each type manufactured.
• Prototype vehicles are tested against type approval standards by the relevant government certification agency; in the UK this is the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), based in Bristol.
• Once approved, the manufacturer can issue a Certificate of Conformity (COC) for each unit produced.
• This enables vehicles/trailers to be sold across Europe without further testing in each country.

4.3 NSSTA

• NSSTA = National Small Series Type Approval.
• Suitable for small numbers of vehicles sold only within the UK.
• Based on type approval rather than approval of each individual vehicle.
• Uses similar, but sometimes less exacting, technical standards than ECWVTA and requires less paperwork.
• Designed to help reduce costs for smaller manufacturers.
• Key disadvantage: it limits the number of vehicles that can be manufactured during the year.

4.4 IVA

• IVA = Individual Vehicle Approval.
• UK national approval scheme for vehicles imported, assembled or manufactured in very small numbers or as individual vehicles.
• Checks that vehicles broadly meet technical requirements and modern safety/environmental standards.
• The material says IVA generally has more relevance to private cars and imported vehicles; goods vehicles are extremely unlikely to be involved.
• Compared with ECWVTA and NSSTA, IVA is the least onerous certification route in terms of compliance and is generally less costly.
• It involves a physical inspection of each individual vehicle at a DVSA site in Great Britain.
• Satisfactory completion results in an individual approval certificate.
• Certificates may be acceptable under European Mutual Recognition provisions in other EU countries, subject to that country’s authority accepting them.

4.5 EARLIER TYPE APPROVAL SCHEMES

• The UK has had a system of type approval for goods vehicles since 1982.
• EU manufacturers could issue a Type Approval Certificate (TAC) confirming compliance with required standards.
• Vehicles manufactured outside the EU were issued a Ministers Approval Certificate (MAC) for type approval compliance.
• From 2012, large-scale goods vehicle manufacturers had to certify all new vehicles under ECWVTA and issue each vehicle with a Certificate of Conformity (COC).