UK Statutory Instrument
2020
United Kingdom
Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020
At a glance
Enforced by
What's here
10 compliance obligations, 4 practical guides
Penalty landscape
1 of 10 obligations carry a fine up to £50,000. 2 carry different penalties and 7 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.
Who this Act binds
Plus 2 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.
Relevant guidance
Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.
What this Act requires
Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.
Part 1 — Introduction
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Citation and commencement
Application
Interpretation
Part 2 — Type-approval
Browse 13 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Appointment of approval authority
Market surveillance authority
Requirement to supply documentation or additional information: failure to comply
Refusal of ... type-approval application
Reusability, recycling and recovery of component parts and materials
Conformity of production: record keeping
Review of decisions
Withdrawal of approvals: mistake or error
Withdrawal and suspension of approvals: effect
Service
Provision of testing stations
Provision of technical information: loss or damage
Defeat systems
Part 3 — National small series type approval and individual approval
Browse 6 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Applications for GB small series type-approval and UK (NI) national small series type approval
Grant of GB small series type-approval and UK (NI) national small series type approval
Recognition in Northern Ireland of national type approvals of small series granted in ... member States
Individual approval
Applications for individual approvals: appeals
Form of certificates: UK (NI) national small series type approval, GB small series type-approval and individual approval
Part 4 — Conditions for licensing or entry into service of vehicles
Browse 9 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Grant of first licence or registration of motor vehicle
Interoperability for car radio receivers
Consent to supply of large trailers for use on a road
Records of large trailers
Records of small trailers
Interpretation of Part
End-of-Series vehicles: limits (Great Britain)
End-of-Series vehicles: limits (Northern Ireland)
Components and separate technical units: derogations
Part 5 — Offences, enforcement and civil penalties
Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Offences, enforcement and civil penalties
Part 6 — Consequential amendments, revocations, savings and transitional provisions
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
Consequential amendments, revocations and savings
Transitional provision: national small series type approval of vehicles over 4m in height
Transitional provision: national small series type approval certificate of conformity
Schedules
Offences and defences
Unlimited fine- Supply unapproved trailer for road use
Powers of search, etc.
- Cooperate with VCA officers during inspections and provide records
Applications for the release of detained items
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Court/sheriff must not order release of detained items unless conditions are met Tribunal / Court
Criminal penalties
3 months imprisonment- Fail to comply with any requirement of the Road Vehicles (Approval) Regulations 2020
Civil penalties
Fine up to £50,000- Commit specified road vehicle approval offences
Objection to penalty decision
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- VCA must consider your penalty objection within 70 days Statutory regulator
Obstruction of officers and false statements
- Do not obstruct VCA officers or give false information
Instead of complying with Section 1 an alternative wheelchair tie-down...
- Provide evidence of equivalent protection for alternative wheelchair tie-down systems
Type-approval provisions
- Provide technical data on materials for GB type-approval
Assessment of the manufacturer
- Ensure reusability, recyclability, recoverability arrangements and notify changes
Browse 78 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
Forces applied to a wheelchair tie-down system
Forces applied to an occupant restraint system
Anchorage system performance
For the purpose of determining whether a multi-purpose vehicle falls...
A vehicle is a vehicle manufactured using parts of a...
(1) A vehicle is a rebuilt vehicle if it—
(1) For the purposes of regulations 23 and 26, the...
The cases are as follows— (a) Case 1—
The alternative information for the purposes of regulation 26 is—...
Powers of customs officers to detain goods
Compensation for seizure and detention
Recovery of the expenses of enforcement
Power of the Commissioners for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to disclose information
Savings for certain privileges
Savings for civil rights
Offences by bodies corporate and partnerships
Notification of penalty decision
Civil penalties: appeals
Enforcement of penalty decision
Directive 2005/64/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council...
Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the...
Directive 2006/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council...
Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of...
Regulation (EC) No 78/2009 of the European Parliament and of...
Regulation (EC) No 79/2009 of the European Parliament and of...
Regulation (EC) No 595/2009 of the European Parliament and of...
Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of...
Regulation (EU) No 540/2014 of the European Parliament and of...
Regulation (EU) 2015/758 of the European Parliament and of the...
Amendment of the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981
Amendment of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Regulations 1995
Amendment of the Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) Regulations 1998
Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Authorised Weight) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999
Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Type Approval and Approval Marks) (Fees) Regulations 1999
Amendment of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000
Amendment of the Passenger Car (Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emissions Information) Regulations 2001
Amendment of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002
Amendment of the Motor Vehicle Testing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003
Amendment of the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulations 2003
Amendment of the End-of-Life Vehicles (Storage and Treatment) (Scotland) Regulations 2003
Amendment of the Road Traffic Act 1988
Amendment of the End-of-Life Vehicles (Producer Responsibility) Regulations 2005
Amendment of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008
Amendment of the Road Vehicles (Individual Approval) (Fees) Regulations 2009
Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Replacement of Catalytic Converters and Pollution Control Devices) Regulations 2009
Amendment of the Cleaner Road Transport Vehicles (Scotland) Regulations 2010
Amendment of the Cleaner Road Transport Vehicles Regulations 2011
Amendment of the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012
Amendment of the Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) Regulations 2012
Amendment of the Pollution Prevention and Control (Industrial Emissions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013
Amendment of the Wireless Telegraphy (Automotive Short Range Radar) (Exemption) Regulations 2013
Amendment of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994
Amendment of the Taxi Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015
Amendment of the Wireless Telegraphy (Ultra-Wideband Equipment) (Exemption) Regulations 2015
Amendment of the Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016
Amendment of the Economic Growth (Regulatory Functions) Order 2017
Amendment of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018
Amendment of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018
Amendment of the Waste (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) (No. 2) Regulations 2019
Amendment of the Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Amendment of the Road Vehicle Emission Performance Standards (Cars and Vans) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Amendment of the Road Vehicles and Non-Road Mobile Machinery (Type-Approval) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Amendment of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003
Amendment of the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Amendment of the REACH etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Amendment of the REACH etc. (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) (No 3) Regulations 2019
Revocations
Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (International Circulation) Order 1975
Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Type Approval) Regulations 1980
Amendment of the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981
Amendment of the Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981
Amendment of the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989
Instead of complying with Section 1 an alternative wheelchair tie-down...
The following table may be used as an alternative to...
Exemptions
Definitions
Reuse of component parts
Modifications of UNECE Regulation 133
Other sections — not classified into a Part
These sections exist in the Act but the contents-of-Parts walker did not place them under a Part. Likely amendments or sections inserted out of the original Part structure.
Browse 7 other unclassified sections
In this Schedule— “approval” means— a certificate of type approval...
A reference in a table in this Schedule to any...
A reference in column 1 of a table in this...
A reference in column 2 or 3 of a table...
(1) A vehicle is a personally imported vehicle if either...
(1) A vehicle is an amateur built vehicle if—
(1) A vehicle is a vehicle manufactured in very low...
Official guidance
Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.
- Export Control Joint Unit — guidance (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
- End-of-life vehicles — producer responsibility guidance (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
- Vehicle Certification Agency — type approval (opens in a new tab) Detailed Guidance
Enforcement and responsible bodies
The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.
Vehicle Certification Agency
Type approval authority for new vehicles, components, and systems. Certifies that vehicles meet safety and environmental standards. Issues UK type approvals replacing …
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Browse legislation
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Regulators
Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.