DVLA's New Rules Explained: Don't Let Your Classic Car Get a 'Q' Plate!

My god. A YouTube video on vehicle regs by someone who is intelligent, literate and a genuine enthusiast - rather than yet more baiting, hyperbolic tripe. Subbed.

The elephant in the room here is the excruciating nature of dealing with the DVLA in any way at all. Very often these bureaucrats have liberal arts degrees and know nothing about motor vehicles. Rules, such as they are, are very often either not understood by said bureaucrats or applied with zero consistency. Over the years I have adopted a policy of avoiding any interaction with the DVLA if at all possible and it has stood me in good stead. Likewise classic MOT. I got so tired of MOT testers either not understanding classics or sometimes even damaging them, the MOT exemption was a blessed relief to me. A knowledgeable classic friendly MOT garage is essential, but getting ever harder to find as the old boys retire.

If you can get away with not telling the DVLA then don’t, they don’t even know their own rules and regulations. What they don’t know won’t hurt them, it’s bureaucracy gone mad now and it’s getting worse.

As an mot tester I have seen good and bad historic cars. I am of the age of having worked on early E type Jaguars and other cars of this age. Most are maintained to a very high standard , often coming for an "MOT" check which was not needed , but they wanted to make sure every thing was ok , especially the brakes and often to have a good look at the underside which I'm quite happy to do. Most owners are happy to have things pointed out which may give concern in the future or with use. Tyres are a major problem with cracking and flat spots, brake pads can glaze. The other extreme is someone who has botched things and is just concerned that it looks good on top,. We had one recently purchased as fully restored that was a death trap. The number of missing split pins , loose nuts ,bolts too short that only went into nuts a few threads...fuel pipes weeping, rubber fuel pipes of the incorrect type with no clips , linked brake pipes and brake imbalance that was unbelievable. The owner collected it on a trailer and took it back. Structural problems and the use of incorrect gauge steel is common , if in doubt ask I have seen chassis rails fabricated with body work steel , the reason ? It was easier. The DVLA can be a pain at times but they are trying to get things right. There used to be on YouTube videos of a VW golf 1988ish bodyshell with corrosion being crashed at 30mph it collapsed inward...now think of a 1970 's saloon doing the same thing. As one idiot said to me, if I cover it with under seal you'll never know as you're not allowed to remove .it...

Finally, someone who has read an understood the consultation document then shared a factual assessment of it. Well done.

Nice to see a well balanced video. I have many classic cars and also work on ev conversions, we can't have any extra holes or welding to them. The biggest issue weve found is the experience of the dvla inspectors as many of them dont knwo much about classic cars.

What you explained is exactly what i thought when I read through. I have no idea why so many people are panicking over it all. 👍

Great presentation mate. You are absolutely right, get involved. Cheers.

Excellent- extremely informative. Most grateful 🙏

Great video keep up the good work thanks

Don’t tell ‘Em Pike 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Changing it from ice to ev should be a major change & a Q plate , because it's a lot heavier , also you would have to change the suspension to cope with it .

I remember those torsion bars on marina.... Pretty soft... Good idea to change

A common modification to cars such as MG Midgets and Austin Healey Sprites is to fit a five speed gearbox. Depending on which box is used, this can necessitate alterations to the vehicle’s structure, which should presumably lead to an IVA test. However, a Spridget in standard form will not pass an IVA test without further modifications being carried out, for example switchgear meeting minimum radius requirements. It’s ridiculous that one area of the car is deemed acceptable for people to drive about in, but if a different area changes, then the acceptable becomes unacceptable.

keep it to yourself its none of their concern what you do with your personal property, unlikely they even know what one of those cars look like anyway, do you think every shop or person knows what all the oem structure and components look like on a 40 year old car?

Ouch , I built a !939 Austin 10 with MGB Engine , gearbox Front and rear suspension , great car fully complied with all MOT requirments ,the reg was KMY409 , a relative has built a Ford mustang and replaced all the running gear with Mercedes AMG an absolute projectile , again it compies with all the legal requirments ,

Eat z bugs, own nothing and be happy

Thanks for that, my intention would be to keep it pretty close to what park royal put out.

I converted an 04 Freelander to electric and was able to get it past the DVLA without needing a IVA test by scrupulously avoiding drilling cutting or welding any part of the chassis. Even then I had to take it back a 2nd time for more photos to be taken. The ridiculous situation at the moment is the experts on the ground (MOT testers) with their eyes on the car cannot make the decision as to whether the car will pass or fail. They can only take photos and send them back the Swansea for someone to decide the road worthiness of your car from the photos.

Q plates are nothing to do with age. They are to do with not being able to identify the original vehicle. So you could have a chassis from one vehicle, engine and drive train from another and bodyshell from a third. What is the original vehicle? Age is, and always was, irrelevant.