New regulatory system for modification of vehicles

A new regulatory system specifying requirements for the modification of passenger vehicles in the UAE will be in effect on 1st June, 2017, UAE Minister of State Dr. Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahd has said.

The new regulations will contribute to ensuring more safety, regulating the modified car market and preventing modification of any cars in a way that poses a threat to public safety," said Dr. Fahad, who is also the Board Chairman of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Meteorology.

In response to the rapid growth in the market of modified cars in the UAE, the authority has been collaborating with a number of federal and local strategic partners to come up with a comprehensive strategy to ensure best-in-class road safety standards, the minister added.

He commended the constructive channels of cooperation between the authority with the Ministry of Interior, Dubai Road and Transport Authority, the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE as well as Yas Circuit in Abu Dhabi, to regulate the modified car market in the country, which over the past period attracted massive investments, primary examples of which are Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and Dubai Autodrome.

According to the new system, car service centres and workshops which introduce car modifications in the country have to comply with certain technical specifications.

The technical regulations, developed in collaboration with the Specialty Equipment Market Association, specify the requirements for the modification of passenger vehicles. This is applicable to used and new passenger vehicles modified by the addition, substitution, or alteration of vehicle equipment or systems. Excluded are the motorcycle, trailers, caravans and tractors.