Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

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Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Boxster EV »

As title suggest, over the next few weeks I'm intending on going through the formalities with the DVLA. Despite searching online I haven't really found a definitive guide on how to go through this process.

The DVLA website suggests completion of the V627/1 form which primarily relates to kit car conversions, or cars converted with kits. However it's not overly clear.

Does anyone have experience of this for the UK? If not, I'm happy to post a guide based on my experiences over the next month or so.





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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by SciroccoEV »

It can be as simple as getting an MOT as a EV, then sending the V5C and a few photos of the conversion off to the DVLA with the fuel and tax classes changed to 'electric'.

You may however be told that you need to provide an invoice from the company that did the conversion work. This nonsense is a hold over from the days of reduced road tax for LPG conversions that had to be done by approved installers and doesn't actually apply to EV conversions. However the DVLA may be stubborn. A few quid or a pint or two to a local garage will usually result in a letter the DVLA will accept.

This is all assuming that the vehicle is registered and you have a V5C in your name. If not, you may end up mired in Kafkaesque bureaucracy and end up having to use a registration agent. It appears they can make up a whole pack of lies in exchange for money and the DVLA will accept whatever they say.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Kevin Sharpe »

I've updated the wiki (here) with the following comment from DIY Electric;

"contacted MIRA and have had it confirmed a certificate of compliance with R100.01 will cost around £5K i and have been given a provisional form to fill then a phone call which has obviously moved on since i contacted them before - not sure I'm really ready yet but it seem a more formal process is in place"
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by SciroccoEV »

A conversion shouldn't need to go through IVA unless the vehicle structure has been modified, so R100.01 wouldn't apply.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by tom91 »

SciroccoEV wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 3:27 pm A conversion shouldn't need to go through IVA unless the vehicle structure has been modified, so R100.01 wouldn't apply.
Correct unless it has been decided too much of the vehicle has been modified to classify as a conversion. https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration ... d-vehicles

The referenced post relates to a kit car, that has never been registered being built as an electric.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Kevin Sharpe »

tom91 wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 3:32 pm
SciroccoEV wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 3:27 pm A conversion shouldn't need to go through IVA unless the vehicle structure has been modified, so R100.01 wouldn't apply.
Correct unless it has been decided too much of the vehicle has been modified to classify as a conversion. https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration ... d-vehicles
My understanding is that most UK conversions are not being correctly declared today and this will be addressed by legislation assuming Baroness Worthington's bill is adopted.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by tom91 »

Kevin Sharpe wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 4:11 pm My understanding is that most UK conversions are not being correctly declared today and this will be addressed by legislation assuming Baroness Worthington's bill is adopted.
Any summary of the points that bill would add/Change? It would be worth having a look at what it could potentially mean for conversions in the UK.

I would believe it to be a struggle to get any conversion currently on the road, private or commercially done to pass any sort of SVA approval. Also largely due to the lack of clarity around requirements.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by zippy500 »

are you saying that it could cost 5K to legally have a converted EV on the road ? ( sorry if I missed something)
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Kevin Sharpe »

tom91 wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 4:34 pm Any summary of the points that bill would add/Change? It would be worth having a look at what it could potentially mean for conversions in the UK.
It's almost a decade since I did any work with the UK Government and I haven't conversed with Bryony in depth since that time. I do know she is getting advice from several people today and she's an advocate for safe conversions at scale.
tom91 wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 4:34 pm I would believe it to be a struggle to get any conversion currently on the road, private or commercially done to pass any sort of SVA approval. Also largely due to the lack of clarity around requirements.
I do still have some contacts in the civil service and can confirm that they are fully aware of the issues with current conversions and the deviation by the UK from the norms adopted by many countries. I think UK government see's this as an issue because it potentially undermines competitiveness going forward.

My advice would be to get involved with the UK government review process. This will be more effective if done as a group of companies (via SMMT?) or as an advocacy group (via BVS?). Don't just wait for the government to decide the way forward because they tend to be very cautious (that's what happened in The Netherlands which is now a very tough environment for converters).
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by RetroZero »

Do it quickly too, as even with group companies, it can be not so succesful - nightmare in France. With current health scares and knock-on efects to economies, any VIABLE solutions that can generate income (like recycling electric vehicles safely) and contribute to current environnement and pollution problems would be serious proposals. I would suggest using the German examples as your base and prove to DVLA it is possible with ....VW Touran on Leaf Power as a starter.....
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by xp677 »

What is the procedure right now? Is it still a case of getting an MOT, a letter from a garage, and sending those off with an updated fuel type on the V5?
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by SciroccoEV »

The Battery Vehicle Society (BVS) is all but dead. They've come very close to voting to wind it up.
I've been a member two or three times over the years, once briefly being pushed into the role of deputy chair and indeed I think they still list me as technical officer despite not having been a member for over a decade. It was never a very up to date or forward looking organisation.

It might be just worth saving as a long standing organisation for lobbying purposes.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Mouse »

SciroccoEV wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 8:04 pm The Battery Vehicle Society (BVS) is all but dead. They've come very close to voting to wind it up.
Thats sad to hear. I used to go to the BEVOB Battery Electric Vehicles Of Bristol back when Nikki used chair it and also had an active role in BVS but now she's moved to the USofA I've tried to find local meetings again but failed and this might explain why.

I never actually joined but a number of years ago I used to do work for the then Chairman of BVS and so had to endure his ranting about how the controlling officers were essentially (according to him) self serving retired engineers who considered the club to be their personal thing and appeared to use it to reminisce about the technology they knew and used when they were younger. It was a shame not because they were mostly older men who had an active working life in the 60s and 70's but because they actively shunned anything modern and new, especially when it came to the new Prius and prospect of the Leaf coming onto market. And there appeared to also be internal power struggles and infighting which is never healthy for any group.
SciroccoEV wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 8:04 pm It might be just worth saving as a long standing organisation for lobbying purposes.
I fully agree, but I don't have the time to take any sort of lead role in this but will take part if needbe.
Joking aside but it bight be relatively easy to starting turning up at meetings and get voted into a position of influence.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by johnfin »

In the context of these conversion approvals/registrations, what are anyone's views on the what counts as an "unmodified chassis" in the context of the Radically Altered Vehicle criteria with the DVLA?

For example, if you were looking to create a uniform area for a battery box in a FWD car and you had removed the fuel tank and exhaust taking up space underneath the boot. Would cutting out the spare wheel well to create some kind of squared space in its place count as a modified chassis if it was just the centre of a panel you had cut into?

In my mind, chassis modification would be something structural to the vehicle, not the effectively cosmetic sheet metal between those elements. I've seen various conversions of eg. 2wd to 4wd vehicles in the past, where new boot floors/subframes have had to be welded in, but I don't recall people having been concerned with the type of regulations that we're all talking about here, despite arguably being more substantial.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by tom91 »

johnfin wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 9:41 am "unmodified chassis"

For example, if you were looking to create a uniform area for a battery box in a FWD car and you had removed the fuel tank and exhaust taking up space underneath the boot. Would cutting out the spare wheel well to create some kind of squared space in its place count as a modified chassis if it was just the centre of a panel you had cut into?

In my mind, chassis modification would be something structural to the vehicle, not the effectively cosmetic sheet metal between those elements. I've seen various conversions of eg. 2wd to 4wd vehicles in the past, where new boot floors/subframes have had to be welded in, but I don't recall people having been concerned with the type of regulations that we're all talking about here, despite arguably being more substantial.
Anything that can reverted without welding/ grinding is considered unmodified if you follow the strict rules.

Most people just do not report it as it is based on you telling the DVLA what you did. Alot of the offroad guys doing modification are really just skirting around the laws by not reporting their modifications or by not indication what has changed.

You would go for a Single Vehicle Approval if you have done chassis modification to get your work inspected, the biggest issue would be getting clarify around the rules electric conversions.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Bigpie »

What the deal with getting the fuel type on the V5 changed to electric? Do most just ignore it and still pay the emissions based VED?
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by tom91 »

Bigpie wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 12:28 pm What the deal with getting the fuel type on the V5 changed to electric? Do most just ignore it and still pay the emissions based VED?
After a certain build date it is nearly impossible to get done, I believe the data is somewhere in 2001 or something.

There is some legislation in place that can be interpreted as change tax class is not allowed on vehicles built between x and x year.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by johnfin »

tom91 wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:47 am Anything that can reverted without welding/ grinding is considered unmodified if you follow the strict rules.

Most people just do not report it as it is based on you telling the DVLA what you did. Alot of the offroad guys doing modification are really just skirting around the laws by not reporting their modifications or by not indication what has changed.

You would go for a Single Vehicle Approval if you have done chassis modification to get your work inspected, the biggest issue would be getting clarify around the rules electric conversions.
Thanks Tom, I guess SVA (or IVA?) wouldn't be too daunting if you were confident you'd done a solid job, but yes, opening the electrical conversion can of worms in doing so seems like something to want to avoid based on what everyone's said above.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Kevin Sharpe »

I highly recommend converters in the UK get involved in the political process... maybe Bryony would be a figure head and raise your profile if you get organised and are serious :|

Her Private Members Bill is worth a read because it includes modified vehicles;
Screenshot 2020-06-20 at 18.44.19.png
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by doobedoobedo »

Thanks for highlighting this Kevin.

The easiest way to contact your MP (you don't even need to know who they are) is through https://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Peter »

Hi Guys. I have converted a car from ICE to Electrickery and now fully legal on the road. First task is to get all the build details with pictures on headed notepaper from your local friendly garage who did at some point help with the build :-) Send this off to DVLA with 'change of fuel' section changed to Electricity. If they are happy with the paperwork they will send back the V5C with fuel stated as Electricity, oddly however they kept the CO2 emissions still listed ?? Next approach insurers, I use Adrian Flux who in my case are brokers for Markerstudy. The premium is expensive by all accounts but if its a means of getting on the road when you have spent £1000's on the conversion its worth spending the funds. Next book an MOT and pass that with whatever advice needed. Apply for tax, in my case £0. You are now 'on the road'. Hope that helps. Peter
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Kevin Sharpe »

Peter wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 3:04 pm I have converted a car from ICE to Electrickery and now fully legal on the road.
When was the car first registered?
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by Peter »

Hi Kevin. First registered in ICE form in 2002. In EV form 2018.
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by zippy500 »

Peter wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 3:04 pm Next approach insurers, I use Adrian Flux who in my case are brokers for Markerstudy. The premium is expensive by all accounts but if its a means of getting on the road when you have spent £1000's on the conversion its worth spending the funds.


Can you give a rough price the premium of insurance ?
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Re: Registering and changing tax class of an EV conversion in the UK

Post by bobby_come_lately »

Has anyone in the UK approached the Baroness yet? I'm happy to drop her a mail and sound out her position on conversions. I'm no expert on law or politics though so if anyone has input on what we would be taking as a lobbying position I'd be grateful.

I'm guessing that it would be clarification that all that is needed is an MOT and change of registration? And the formalisation of this guidance to give us all confidence about our conversions?
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