Can you take IAM/RoSPA in a car with foreign numberplates?

[GS]

Since 1998 it has been perfectly lawful to use vehicles with KPH-only speedometers in the UK (subject to them being EU approved for use in another EU country).

Even so the DSA still wont test drivers in a car without MPH on the speedometer so it doesn't seem surprising the IAM wont either.

Hi MGF

Can you tell me which regulation allows the above please?

Many thanks.

[MGF]

I have tried to make this as clear as possible without missing out the critical parts of the law but incorporating EC law into domestic legislation appears to be inevitably complicated.

Regulation 35 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986/1078 was amended by the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 1998/1188

The amended version is shown below and came into force on 1st June 1998:-

Part II
REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF VEHICLES
Part F
INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT

35.— Speedometers

(1) Save as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), every motor vehicle shall be fitted with a speedometer which, if the vehicle is first used on or after 1st April 1984, shall be capable of indicating speed in both miles per hour and kilometres per hour, either simultaneously or, by the operation of a switch, separately.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to—

****(I have deleted the exemptions for the sake of clarity)****

(3) Instead of complying with paragraph (1) a vehicle may comply with [Community Directive 97/39] or with ECE Regulation 39.


COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 97/39/EC of 24 June 1997 adapting to technical progress Council Directive 75/443/EEC of 26 June 1975 relating to the reverse and speedometer equipment of motor vehicles

Article 2

1. With effect from 1 October 1997 Member States may not:

- refuse, in respect of a type of vehicle, to grant EC type-approval or national type-approval, or

- prohibit the registration, sale or entry into service of vehicles,

on grounds relating to the reverse and speedometer equipment if the vehicles comply with the requirements of Directive 75/443/EEC, as amended by this Directive.



COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 26 June 1975 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the reverse and speedometer equipment of motor vehicles (75/443/EEC)

Article 3

No Member State may refuse registration or prohibit the sale, entry into service or use of a vehicle on (1)OJ No C 5, 8.1.1975, p. 41. (2)OJ No C 47, 27.2.1975, p. 44. (3)OJ No L 42, 23.2.1970, p. 1.

grounds relating to the reverse or the speedometer if these satisfy the requirements set out in Annexes I and II to this Directive

Annexe II

4. SPECIFICATIONS 4.1. The speedometer display shall be situated in the driver's direct field of vision and shall be clearly legible both by day and by night. The range of speeds indicated must be large enough to include the maximum speed given by the manufacturer for the type of vehicle.

4.2. Where the speedometer has a scale, as distinct from a digital display, it shall be clearly legible. 4.2.1. The graduations shall be of 1, 2, 5 or 10 km/h. The values of the speed, multiples of 20 km/h, shall be indicated on the dial.


4.2.2. In the case of a speedometer manufactured for sale in any Member State where imperial units of measurement are used, and where transitional arrangements in accordance with Article 5 are in force, the speedometer shall be marked both in km/h and in mph (miles per hour) ; the graduations shall be of 1, 2, 5 or 10 km/h and also of 1, 2, 5 or 10 mph and the values of the speed indicated on the dial shall be multiples of 20 km/h and multiples of 20 mph.

In other words. If your speedo is approved for use in one Member State it is approved for use in all of them.

It is worth mentioning that we have kph on our speedometers not for when we travel to the continent but because we are meant to be moving over to kph in the future.

Our Governement hasn't set a date for this and the EC doesn't seem fussed about it so it appears mph will be around for a long time yet.

[michael769]

My reading of this is that in imperial countries the speedo must have both mph and kph display, and not kph only.

Certaintly when premanently importing a car from Europe the vehicle manufaturer can only issue a CoC for the UK if the speedo has been calibrated (and can display) mph (this includes both new vehicles for sale and personal imports). Likewise when importing form outside Europe the SVA inspection requires that a speedo with mph calibration is fitted.

As far as I can work out it is only possible to have a kph only speedo in the UK is the vehicle is within the country for less than 6 months (plus 1 day).

EDIT: Incidentaly my car only has an mph display. In order to get kph the ECU has to be reprogrammed by a dealer, there is no driver operated switch.

[michael769]

Ahhh I knew I'd seen it somewhere,

from the Motor vehicle(approvals) Regulations 2000:


1. The vehicle shall be fitted with a speedometer
capable of indicating speed in mph at all speeds
up to the design speed of the vehicle and
capable of being read by the driver at all times of
the day or night.

<<SNIP>>

3. For all true speeds of between 25 mph and 70
mph (or the design speed if lower), the difference
between the indicated speed and the true
speed shall not exceed -
V/10+6.25 mph
where V= the true speed of the vehicle in mph.



Hmmm I'd always thought the accuracty limit was 10% +2 but apparently it is 10% +6ish!

[GS]

Hi Michael

This is certainly how I understand things. I have asked a number of people in the last few days including police and VOSA about this and they all agree that mph must be shown.

[MGF]

Hi Michael

This is certainly how I understand things. I have asked a number of people in the last few days including police and VOSA about this and they all agree that mph must be shown.

If they claim mph must be shown on a vehicle registered in a Member State of the EU when used in the UK then they are either wrong or have misunderstood the question.

Maybe we are talking about slightly different things.

If you import a vehicle into this country you must register it here and in the case of a vehicle registered in an EU country you need to show evidence of, among a few others, speedometer conversion to show mph.

The OP is perfectly entitled to use his foreign registered vehicle here with a kph-only speedometer (for the sake of clarity, upto six months a year so it doesn't qualify as a permanent import) so long as it is registered in a Member State of the EU.