IS IT LEGAL TO DRIVE AN AMERICAN COP CAR IN THE UK?


YES;  however, 

Navigating the complexities of importing your dream American Law Enforcement vehicle from the
USA doesn't need to be tedious as Cop Cars UK stock a range of quality imported American turn key Interceptors, Cruisers and SUV's.

You can inspect (appointment only) Cop Cars UK's vehicles with your trusted mechanic here in the UK and drive your dream vehicle home on the day. How cool is that, or you can choose the tedious route. 

THE TEDIOUS ROUTE 
  • Unless you have physically inspected and happy with the vehicle you are purchasing from the USA or have 100% confidence in the seller the 'risks' speak for themselves. 
LOGISTICS & GLOBAL TRANSPORT
  • The average cost of shipping a car from the USA to the UK starts around $1000+. The price of car shipping to the UK also depends on the origin of the vehicle in the US, the shipping service chosen, and the final destination in the UK.
HOW MUCH IS IMPORT TAX ON A CAR FROM USA TO UK?
  • You will need to pay tax and VAT at a rate of 10% of the total value of the vehicle and 20% VAT on top of that.
  • You may also run into some pretty extortionate shipping port fees that could blow your budgeting to absolute smithereens as well as the costs of transporting your vehicle from port to home. 
ONCE YOU HAVE GOT YOUR VEHICLE HOME, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR DVLA TO REGISTER YOUR CAR?
  • It can take up to 6 weeks or longer for your registration certificate (V5C) to arrive. You need the V5C to get number plates made up. 

VEHICLES OVER 10 YEARS OLD ALSO REQUIRE SOME MODIFICATIONS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO.

  • Light conversions. This is due to the direction that the lights are mounted to shine on, because the U.K. drives on the opposite side of the road, the lights need to be adjusted to accommodate this. The light conversion also includes mounting a fog light at the rear centre to the right hand side of the vehicle, light control switch must light up when the fog light is on and must be seen from driver’s seat
  • Parking lights must be white (not amber), and angled to match the UK cars, rear turning signals must flash amber.
IF YOUR VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 10 YEARS OLD YOU WILL ALSO REQUIRE AN INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE APPROVAL 'IVA'
 
IVA is a UK National approval scheme for vehicles and trailers imported, assembled or manufactured in very small numbers or as individual vehicles e.g. amateur built cars, bespoke trailers etc. It is a means of checking that vehicles broadly meet the technical requirements laid out in European legislation, ensuring that they have been designed and constructed to modern safety and environmental standards.

Vehicles submitted for IVA inspections need to demonstrate that they generally comply with the
technical provisions of Directive 2007/46/EC. The IVA scheme checks that vehicles constructed for non-European markets comply with UK law. Even vehicles which appear outwardly similar to European specification models, but are intended for other markets, can often prove unsuitable for use in the United Kingdom without at least some modification. The scheme ensures that these vehicles have been designed and constructed to modern safety and environmental standards and helps make sure that they are safer on the road and have a lower impact on the environment.

WHAT SHOULD YOU BE AWARE OF DURING THE IVA TEST?

An IVA test looks at the vehicle from a different perspective than a MoT for example; The design of the vehicle is assessed to ensure that it meets regulations that are in place across the EU and your vehicle.

THE TOP 10 REASONS THAT CARS AND OTHER VEHICLES IN THE M1 INSPECTION CATEGORY FAIL THE IVA INSPECTION:
  • Headlamp aim
  • General construction
  • Brakes
  • Rear fog lamps
  • Exterior projections
  • Speedometers
  • Statutory plates
  • Seat belt anchorages
  • Emissions
  • Interior fittings
IVA LEFT HAND DRIVES 

At the time of publishing this post the cost of an IVA is 

Test type         Service Charge + VAT In working hours         Average test length

Inspection                            £256.78                                              110 minutes

Re-inspection                      £51.61                                                35 minutes

Appeal                                  £256.78                                               70 minutes

PLEASE ALSO NOTE

You will still require a valid MoT certificate alongside the IVA Certificate before you can legally register and drive the vehicle on the UK road. You will also need to transport your vehicle to the IVA test centre and home.

You may also find yourself facing hefty costs and waiting times as to parts and shipping etc when preparing your vehicle to pass its MoT.  

HOWEVER, GOOD NEWS REGARDING AMERICAN CARS NUMBER PLATES

Fortunately for drivers of American cars in the UK, the regulations now state that imported cars may display number plates with smaller characters if: a) The vehicle does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval and b) The construction/design of the vehicle cannot accommodate standard size number plates. Therefore, the following specifications, which are identical to those given to motorbikes and tricycles, may be applied:

  • Character height: 64mm
  • Character width: 44mm
  • Character stroke: 10mm
  • Space between characters: 10mm

Minister for Transport, John Spellar, announced this ruling on 31 July 2001. Almost all American cars are manufactured with a motorcycle size number plate and it is costly to modify these plates. This rule saves money, as well as the inconvenience of modifying. Law enforcement agencies are still able to clearly read these registrations, so they do not cause any problems.

LIGHTBARS

The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (Part 2, Section 16) state:

No vehicle, other than an emergency vehicle, shall be fitted with–

(a) a blue warning beacon or special warning lamp, or

(b) a device which resembles a blue warning beacon or a special warning lamp, whether the same is in working order or not.

However, also in the regulations, (Part 1, Section 4, 4) Exemptions - General, it states:

(4) Without prejudice to regulation 16, for the purposes of these Regulations a lamp shall not be treated as being a lamp if it is –

(a) so painted over or masked that it is not capable of being immediately used or readily put to use; or

(b)an electric lamp which is not provided with any system of wiring by means of which that lamp is, or can readily be, connected with a source of electricity.

Which was accepted by ACPO (now NPCC) as meaning that as long as a blue lightbar/beacon was isolated from a supply of electricity 'in the boot' and as long as there are no other factors that would create an offence, it should be disregarded (paraphrased). 

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