Modified imported car loophole?

[Speed Badger]

Hi all, I have a query regarding a something that happened me a few years ago that I had forgotten about until now.

When I was about 22 I had a Toyota Supra Mk4 that was modified (before it was imported) with a full bodykit, exhaust, alloys, suspension with a huge TRD rear wing along with a few other bits. These were not declared by myself to my insurer.

An old lady in a Micra crashed into it while it was parked and long story short, it was written off by my insurer. Now the old lady admitted liability however my payout was initially refused due to the undeclared mods.

After long discussions with my insurer & her insurer, they agreed to pay out for the car in full due to a loophole they found in which if a car has entered the country already modified and passed it's SVA test, it is considered a standard manufacturer vehicle. If it is then further modified in the UK it then becomes modified and needs to be declared.

Can any insurance bods confirm this is correct and/or if it still exists? Not that I'm planning to dodge it, I'm a wise old owl now (or something), just wondered as it popped into my mind the other day.

[un1corn]

I would hazard a guess it might be correct.

The only basis I have for this is that I know those really really tiny trimmed down number plates you see on Skylines/Imprezas/Evo's can be legal if the car is an import, due to some legal exemption regards the size of the mounting brackets or something.

[agtlaw]

un1corn said:

I would hazard a guess it might be correct.

The only basis I have for this is that I know those really really tiny trimmed down number plates you see on Skylines/Imprezas/Evo's can be legal if the car is an import, due to some legal exemption regards the size of the mounting brackets or something.

“Size and spacing of characters: special cases

14A. (1) This regulation applies in relation to any vehicle imported into the United Kingdom which—

(a)does not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval; and
(b)is so constructed that the area available for the fixing of the registration plate precludes the display on the plate of a registration mark in conformity with the requirements of regulation 14."

[Jobbo]

If she wrote your car off, I can't see how your declaration to your own insurers is relevant. If it wasn't insured at all, you'd still have suffered the loss.

[ging84]

There is no specific loop hole here relating to the sva or iva. The sva does not mean it gets some legal status of a standard UK vehicle if anything quite the opposite, if it did you could answer no to has it been imported or yes to is it a standard UK spec vehicle which you clearly cannot. Being an imported vehicle does however give you much more scope to have been unaware of any modifications therefore innocently not disclosing them to the insurer.

[Roo]

You won't get a modified car through an IVA test nowadays.

Even some production cars will now fail on visibility of lights.

[Retroman]

Roo said:

You won't get a modified car through an IVA test nowadays.

Even some production cars will now fail on visibility of lights.

Do all imported vehicles go through an IVA test?

[liner33]

Most jap imports would just need to pass an mot not a sva

[Roo]

If it's under ten years old and has no EU CoC then it will need an IVA test.

Exceptions are emergency vehicles, recovery vehicles and a few others.