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MadaboutKitcars

Does my recently built kit car definitely need an IVA test to get it on the road?

Does my recently built kit car definitely need an IVA test to get it on the road?

If you have just built your kit car (or got someone else to do it) and it has not been registered for road use before, ie it’s not a re-body of an existing car such as a VW Beetle or Toyota MR2 then yes it will need to go through the IVA examination as it will be classed as an ‘Amateur-built vehicle’
 
To clarify this is what the VOSA guidelines say;
 
Amateur-built vehicle is one constructed or assembled for your own personal use, where:
 
the construction or assembly or a substantial part of it must have been carried out by you or other persons acting on your behalf; and a substantial part of the construction or assembly was carried out by you or other persons not involved in a business in the course of which motor vehicles are normally constructed or assembled”
 
IVA covers amateur built vehicles falling under the following categories;
 
“cars or light passenger vehicles with:
 
four or more wheels and not more than 8 seats - either actual or declared in addition to the driver's seat;
 
or
 
three wheels and not more than 8 seats in addition to the driver's seat and a maximum gross weight of more than 1000kg;
 
or
 
three wheels and a maximum gross weight of not more than 1000kg and an un-laden weight of more than 410kg i.e. not a motorcycle and either having a design speed of more than 50kph - 31mph.
 
or
 
an engine capacity more than 50cc.
 
or
 
light goods vehicles with:
 
three or more wheels; and a maximum gross weight not more than 3500kg. In certain circumstances, goods vehicles up to 5500kg can also use IVA.”