How to register a rebuilt, radically altered vehicle or kit car

If you are rebuilding or radically altering a vehicle, or building a vehicle from a kit, it will need to meet certain criteria before the vehicle is registered. Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) local vehicle licensing office (LVLO) will assign the original or an appropriate registration mark based on the evidence provided.

Vehicle identity

Sometimes, a vehicle needs to be rebuilt and this can call the identity of the vehicle into question. Is it the original that has simply been repaired, or have so many new or different parts been used in the rebuilding process that the original vehicle has been effectively broken up?

In allocating a registration mark to a rebuilt vehicle, the Agency's main interest is to establish whether or not the vehicle is newly constructed with no previously registered identity (in it’s present form). Vehicles which have been substantially rebuilt need to be examined by one of the DVA local vehicle licensing offices.

Vehicle identity check

All vehicles notified to DVA as being within insurance salvage categories A, B or C are required to pass a vehicle identity check (VIC), conducted by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (testing division), before DVA (licensing) will issue a registration certificate V5C(NI).

If a vehicle has been rebuilt as part of the repair process, this can call the identity of the vehicle into question. When applying for a VIC, you'll be asked to declare whether your vehicle’s chassis or monocoque body has been replaced or modified in any way.

The information you provide will enable DVA (testing) to decide whether your VIC application can proceed or whether to refer your vehicle to a DVA local vehicle licensing office for inspection - where it will be assessed in line with DVA’s rebuild guidelines instead.

If a vehicle fails a VIC because its identity can't be confirmed, it will not be entitled to retain its original registration mark. It may be possible to register the vehicle with DVA (licensing) if evidence of British National Type Approval in the form of a Minister's Approval Certificate can be produced.

This may be obtained by applying to DVA (testing division) for a Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) Inspection (please note that the 'enhanced' category may apply). However before doing so, you will need to obtain an alternative vehicle identification number (VIN) from the DVA local vehicle licensing office.

Following a successful SVA inspection and DVA Local Vehicle Licensing Office assessment, a 'QNI' registration mark will be allocated.