Converting a US car for the UK
American cars are built to US federal standards, which differ from UK rules in a handful of predictable ways. Nearly all of them are lights. Here is the usual list, and why each item is on it.
"Converting" sounds like a bigger job than it usually is. A US car does not need to be turned into a right-hand drive car, and its speedometer already reads in the right units. What it normally needs is a set of lighting changes so that it meets UK requirements for its IVA or MOT. We carry this work out in our own workshop rather than subcontracting it, and the car is tested in our own lane afterwards.
Headlights that dip the right way for UK roads, amber rear indicators, a rear fog lamp and side repeaters. Some cars need all four, some need one or two. The speedometer and the steering normally stay as they are.
Headlights: the beam pattern
A dipped headlight beam is not symmetrical. It throws more light towards the kerb side and keeps it low on the side facing oncoming traffic. American headlights are designed for driving on the right, so on a UK road they light the wrong side and can dazzle drivers coming the other way.
The IVA inspection manual is direct about it: when switched from main to dipped beam, the beam pattern must dip to the left. On most US cars that means the headlights are replaced or converted. How that is done depends on the car. Older vehicles with separate, standard-shaped lamps are often simpler. Newer cars with integrated or bonded headlight assemblies are usually more involved, and cars with HID or LED dipped beams have extra requirements around beam levelling and cleaning to meet as well.
Rear indicators: red to amber
This is the change that surprises people most. On many American cars, the rear brake lamps also flash as the indicators, so the rear turn signal is red. UK rules require indicators to show amber, at the front and the rear.
It applies at the MOT as well as IVA. The MOT manual allows red rear indicators combined with stop or tail lamps only on vehicles first used before 1 September 1965, and the DVSA has confirmed testers have no discretion to pass a later car with them. So even an older American car on the MOT route will usually need amber rear indicators if it was built with red ones.
The fix depends on the car and its lamp units. The aim is a working amber indicator at the rear that is correctly positioned and visible, while the brake lights continue to work as brake lights. We decide the neatest way to achieve that on each car, and tell you what it involves when we quote.
If the rear lamps flash red when the indicator is on, budget for the change. It is a routine job for us, but it is real work, and on some modern cars the rear lamps are complex units.
Rear fog lamp
UK rules require a rear fog lamp, and US vehicles are not built with one. At the MOT it is required on vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980, and IVA requires one too. So on most American imports one has to be added and wired in.
It is more than a red light bolted to the bumper. To pass, the rear fog lamp has to:
- show red only, and carry the approval marking the regulations require;
- work only when the dipped beam, main beam or front fog lamps are on;
- have a tell-tale light visible from the driving seat, so you can see when it is on;
- work independently of the brake pedal;
- be mounted in the right position and visible from the right angles.
We fit one that suits the car, positioned correctly, with the switch and warning light in the cabin.
Side repeaters
Side repeaters are the small amber indicators on the sides of the car, usually on the front wings or built into the mirrors. They let drivers alongside you see that you are turning. Many US vehicles do not have them.
The MOT requires an amber side repeater on each side for vehicles first used after 1 April 1986, and IVA checks them as part of the indicator section. Where a car does not have them, they are fitted and wired into the indicator circuit.
The speedometer: usually nothing to do
The speedometer has to be capable of showing miles per hour, and the IVA examiner checks it. American cars already read in mph, so the conversion that Japanese, Australian and European imports usually need does not normally apply. It is one of the genuine advantages of buying American.
The number plate area
US number plates are a different size and shape from UK ones, so the rear needs a proper place to mount a UK plate. For an unmodified, mass-produced car this is normally already fine: IVA treats the plate space as met, and allows non-European cars to use a smaller plate space. What does not pass is a plate simply hanging off the car with nothing behind it to support it.
The rear plate also has to be lit, and the lamp has to come on with the side lights. That is a tested item at both IVA and MOT. If the existing lamp does not do the job, we sort it.
Why newer cars cost more to convert
The same list of changes can be a quick job on one car and a significant one on another. The difference is usually age. An older car tends to have separate lamps for each function, which can be swapped, added or rewired individually. A newer car is more likely to have integrated lighting units, where several functions share one bonded assembly.
That is why we price conversion work vehicle by vehicle and include it in the original quote. A recent pickup or SUV is likely to need more work than a classic from the 1960s or 70s, even though the classic may need more attention in other ways.
Anything else?
Occasionally. Every car is inspected when it arrives, and now and then that turns up something beyond the usual: a worn part, an aftermarket accessory that needs a look, or a modification that affects the test. If we find anything beyond the usual list, we talk to you before we touch it. Modified cars are worth discussing up front, as changes from the original specification can affect both the test and, for an older car, the historic vehicle tax rate covered in our customs, duty and VAT guide.
Motorbikes have a shorter list: usually the headlight and, on some bikes, the speedometer. The motorbikes page has more.
What stays the same
- The steering. Left-hand drive is legal in the UK. Our guide to living with left-hand drive covers what it is like day to day.
- The speedometer, in nearly all cases.
- The character of the car. The changes are to meet UK lighting rules, not to make it look British.
If you are looking at a particular car, ask us for a quote with the make, model and year. We will tell you what it is likely to need and include the conversion in the price. The registration page shows where this work sits between customs and the DVLA, and our muscle cars, pickups and SUVs pages cover the specifics for each type.
Quick answers
Do I have to convert an American car to right-hand drive?
No. Left-hand drive vehicles are legal to register and drive in the UK. The changes a US car needs are to its lighting, not its steering.
Do US cars need a speedometer conversion?
Usually not. UK rules require the speedometer to show miles per hour, and American cars already do. That is one area where a US import is easier than a Japanese or European one.
Why do US cars need different rear indicators?
UK rules require indicators to show amber. Many American cars use red rear lamps that work as both brake lights and indicators, which do not pass. The rear indicators have to be made amber.
How much does the conversion cost?
It depends on the car. Older vehicles with separate lamps are usually simpler than newer ones with integrated lighting units. We price the conversion in the original quote rather than once the car is here.