IVA or MOT?
Before the DVLA will register an imported car, it has to prove it is fit for UK roads. For an American car that means one of two tests, and its age decides which.
Every American car we import goes through an approval test or an MOT before it is registered. The rule of thumb is simple: under ten years old is an IVA, ten years and older is an MOT. Motorbikes have their own version, MSVA. Which route your car takes changes both the work it needs and the cost, which is why the quote form asks for the year.
| Vehicle | Usual test | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Car, pickup or SUV under 10 years old | IVA | Individual Vehicle Approval: checks the vehicle against UK construction standards |
| Car, pickup or SUV 10 years and older | MOT | The standard UK roadworthiness test |
| Motorbike needing approval | MSVA | Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval, the bike equivalent of IVA |
The ten-year line is how gov.uk puts it too: a vehicle first registered or manufactured more than ten years ago might not need approval. "Might" is the right word. A small number of vehicles fall outside the simple rule, and pickups in particular should have their classification confirmed first. We check this when we quote.
IVA: Individual Vehicle Approval
IVA is the check that a newer imported vehicle meets UK safety and environmental standards. It goes further than an MOT, because it looks at how the vehicle was built as well as the condition it is in. The DVSA's inspection manual for cars runs to dozens of sections, including:
- lighting: headlamps, indicators and side repeaters, rear fog lamp, reversing and registration plate lamps;
- noise and emissions;
- brakes and steering;
- seat belts and their anchorages;
- glass, mirrors and the driver's forward vision;
- tyres;
- the speedometer;
- exterior projections, and space to mount a UK rear number plate.
There is some good news for American cars. A mass-produced US vehicle carrying its original federal safety compliance label can be accepted as meeting certain sections of the manual without being inspected on them, as long as it has not been modified. That does not cover everything, and lighting is where the gap usually shows.
Why American cars commonly fail IVA
US vehicles are built to US federal standards, which differ from UK requirements in a handful of predictable ways. Nearly all of them are lights:
- Headlights. The IVA manual requires the dipped beam to dip to the left. US headlights are set up for driving on the right, so they usually need replacing or converting.
- Rear indicators. All indicators must show amber. Many American cars use red rear lamps that double as brake lights and indicators, which will not pass.
- Rear fog lamp. Required here, and not fitted to US vehicles, so one has to be added and wired in.
- Side repeaters. Many US vehicles lack the side indicator repeaters UK rules expect.
The speedometer, which trips up imports from Japan and mainland Europe, is usually not a problem: the IVA requires it to show miles per hour, and US cars already do. Our guide to converting a US car goes through each change in more detail.
Tested on our own site
We have been carrying out IVA work with the DVSA for over twenty years, and our lane in Castle Donington was the first privately owned IVA testing centre for passenger vehicles in the UK. That means we book the test ourselves, the timetable is ours rather than a queue for a DVSA slot, and the car never leaves our site. Full-size pickups go up on the four-post lifts in the lane for their underbody checks.
Every vehicle is inspected when it arrives, and the conversion work is done in our workshop before the test. If we find anything beyond the usual list, we talk to you before we touch it.
MOT: for vehicles ten years and older
An older American car does not need IVA, but it does need to pass an MOT, the same test every UK car over three years old goes through each year. It is not assessed against the full approval standard; it has to be shown to be roadworthy. For a classic, that means checks on things like rust, brakes and seatbelts. As a rule of thumb, if it can pass an MOT, it can be deemed roadworthy. We carry out MOTs on site as well.
That makes the MOT route simpler and cheaper, and it is one reason an older American car is often a more straightforward import than a new one. It is not a free pass on the lights, though.
The MOT requires amber indicators. Only vehicles first used before 1 September 1965 may have red rear indicators combined with the stop or tail lamps. The DVSA has confirmed testers have no discretion on this, so an American car first used after that date with red rear indicators will need them converted to amber before its MOT.
The MOT also expects a rear fog lamp on vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1980, and side repeaters on vehicles first used after 1 April 1986. The older the car, the shorter the list, which is why a 1960s classic can need less work than a 1990s pickup.
MSVA for motorbikes
Motorcycles, along with three-wheelers and some smaller four-wheeled vehicles, have their own scheme: Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval. It applies where a bike needs approval before it can be registered. On an American bike the usual changes are the headlight and, on some bikes, the speedometer. We test bikes on site too. The motorbikes page has more.
Over 30, and over 40
Age matters for tax as well as testing. A car over 30 years old in original state may qualify as a historic vehicle at import: no duty and an effective 5% VAT. Our customs, duty and VAT guide explains the conditions.
Once a car is over 40 years old, it may also qualify for an exemption from the annual MOT and for the historic vehicle tax class after it is registered, as long as it has not been substantially changed, for example with a replacement chassis, body, axles or engine. The DVLA and DVSA set those conditions, and an imported car still has to be shown to be roadworthy to be registered in the first place.
After the test
Once the car has passed, we apply to the DVLA for registration. Getting that application right matters: if the information is not provided the right way, the DVLA can ask to inspect the car, which turns into a long process. When the V5C is issued, the plates go on and the car is ready to collect. The registration page covers that last step, and how it works shows where testing sits in the whole import.
Not sure which route your car takes? Ask us for a quote with the make, model and year, and we will tell you, along with the conversion work it is likely to need.
Quick answers
Does my American car need an IVA?
If it is under ten years old, normally yes. Older vehicles usually take an MOT instead. The year of the car is the first thing we ask for, because it decides the route.
Where is the test done?
In our own lane in Castle Donington, the first privately owned IVA testing centre for passenger vehicles in the UK. We carry out MOTs and motorcycle MSVA tests on site too, so the vehicle does not leave our site.
Why do American cars fail IVA?
Mostly lighting. Headlights that dip the wrong way for UK roads, red rear indicators where amber is required, no rear fog lamp and missing side repeaters are the usual reasons. We do that work before the test.
Does an older US car still need amber indicators for its MOT?
Usually, yes. The MOT requires amber indicators, and only vehicles first used before 1 September 1965 may keep red rear indicators combined with the stop or tail lamps.
What about motorbikes?
Bikes have their own scheme, Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval (MSVA), where a bike needs approval before registration. We test those on site as well.