Specialist tests for lorries
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1. Overview
Most commercial vehicles must be tested every year to make sure they’re roadworthy and follow regulations. This is known as the annual test.
As well as the annual test, your HGV must be tested if you want to be able to:
- carry explosives or dangerous goods in bulk - this is known as the ADR test
- take goods vehicles outside the EU - this is known as the TIR test
- ‘uprate’ or ‘downrate’ your vehicle to change the weight it’s allowed to carry
- qualify for a Low Emissions Certificate (LEC)
2. ADR test for carrying dangerous goods
The ADR is a specialist test for vehicles carrying dangerous or hazardous goods in bulk by road.
Your vehicle must pass an ADR test if it’s a commercial vehicle or a trailer used to carry explosives, or if it’s used in the UK or abroad:
- to carry dangerous goods in a fixed tank, demountable tank or fixed battery of pressure vessels of over 1,000 litres capacity
- for carrying dangerous goods in a container or portable tank or battery of pressure vessels of over 3,000 litres capacity
The test varies depending on the type of goods you want to carry.
How to book a test and what it costs
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Complete the application for an ADR test.
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Say on the form if the vehicle is to be tested while still carrying dangerous goods (or their residue) - DVSA will make arrangements for this.
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Include copies of insurance certificates (originals will need to be seen at the test) for fixed tanks, batteries and pressure vessels.
Send your application at least 10 days before you want to take the test.
You can submit your form online or post it to:
DVSA
ADR Section
Ellipse
Padley Road
Swansea
SA1 8AN
Vehicles and trailers need individual certification, so an articulated or drawbar combination will need 2 ADR applications - one for the vehicle and one for the trailer. You have to pay a fee for each part.
Fees for ADR testing and certification
The fees listed are in addition to the standard annual test fee.
| DVSA service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Initial inspection | £116 |
| Re-inspection within 14 days | £63 |
| Replacement certificate | £14 |
| New type approved artic tractor certificate | £28 |
Fees may be different in Northern Ireland.
Taking your vehicle to the test
Vehicles should not normally be loaded or uncleaned when they’re taken for the ADR test, unless special arrangements have been made with the testing station.
The exception is for vehicles loaded with UN1202 diesel, gas or heating oil where there’s also no residue of other flammable materials in tank vapour spaces.
If a dangerous goods vehicle is taken to the test uncleaned or not purged, or is laden with dangerous goods, DVSA will need to see evidence that the vehicle is accompanied by a person with an appropriate ADR driver’s licence.
You’ll need to submit form VTG15 to the testing station to show if your vehicle is carrying or has been carrying dangerous goods.
Getting a re-inspection after a failed test
If you fail the test, phone the testing station you used to arrange another inspection.
New goods vehicle tractor units that have ‘ADR-type approval’
If you buy a new tractor unit, ask your vehicle supplier if it has been built to an ‘ADR-type approval’. This means you can get ADR-type certification for it. The manufacturer should supply a combined Declaration of Conformity and application form ADR IIIA, which you can then send to DVSA.
Get a replacement ADR certificate
You can apply for a replacement ADR certificate if you have lost the original, or need to change the owner or address.
Apply online
Download and complete the form and submit it to DVSA.
Apply by post
Print out and complete the form and post it to:
DVSA
ADR Section
Ellipse
Padley Road
Swansea
SA1 8AN
Change of ADR category
If you want a new certificate because there’s been a change of ADR category contact DVSA for advice.
ADR booking
ADRBooking@dvsa.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 123 9000
Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
3. TIR test for quicker border crossings
The TIR system allows UK customs officials to pack and seal goods before they’re transported outside the EU. This means that the load will not need to be opened and inspected by customs officials at border crossings.
To meet the TIR requirements your vehicle must pass a test to make sure that:
- nothing can be put into or taken from the vehicle without it being obvious
- the goods compartment is built so that it has to be accessed from both inside and outside to be removed and replaced
Vehicles have to be made to the TIR convention standards. Most lorries made in the UK are not built to the TIR standard and cannot easily be changed to meet the standard.
Book a TIR test
There are 2 ways to get vehicles approved. You can either:
- get individual vehicles approved by having each one inspected
- get a design approved for a series of vehicles
Get individual vehicles approved
Fill in an application to book an individual vehicle inspection and pay the fee. You need to fill in a form and pay a fee for each vehicle you want to be approved.
The TIR test certificate lasts for 2 years from the date it’s issued. You then need to book another inspection every 2 years to keep the vehicle approved. You have to fill in the inspection form and pay the fee each time.
| Fee type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Initial inspection for an individual vehicle | £106 |
| Two-yearly inspection for an individual vehicle | £106 |
| Re-inspection for an individual vehicle after a failed test | £70 |
Fees may be different in Northern Ireland.
Get a design approved for a series of vehicles
Fill in an application to get a vehicle load compartment design approved and pay the fee.
After the design is approved, you have to apply for a ‘certificate of conformity’ for each vehicle made to that design. You have to pay a fee for each vehicle. DVSA will inspect a sample of the vehicles.
The certificate lasts for 2 years from the date it’s issued. You then need to book an inspection for each vehicle made to the design every 2 years to keep them approved. You have to pay the inspection fee each time.
| Fee type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Approval of a design for a series of vehicles | £644 |
| Certificate of conformity for each vehicle made to the design | £14 |
| Two-yearly inspection for each vehicle made to the design | £106 |
| Re-inspection for a vehicle after a failed test | £70 |
| Make a change to an approved design | £106 |
| Replacement certificate of conformity | £14 |
Fees may be different in Northern Ireland.
Where you can get the vehicle tested
Call DVSA to find out where you can have it done.
DVSA Helpline
Telephone: 0300 123 9000
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
Cancelling a test
You’ll need to give at least 3 days notice to cancel an inspection. Otherwise the fee won’t be refunded.
4. Change the weight you can carry
You can apply to increase the maximum permitted weight your lorry can carry.
This is known as:
- ‘up-plating’ if no physical changes have been made to the design
- ‘uprating’ if the design has been modified
You’ll get a new plate to show the change in permitted weight.
You’ll have to pay a higher rate of vehicle tax if up-plating or uprating puts you in a higher vehicle tax band.
Downplating and downrating
You can also ‘downplate’ your lorry or ‘downrate’ it. This reduces the maximum weight it can work at and will lower its rate of vehicle tax.
Your vehicle will be inspected by DVSA if it has been uprated or downrated before it’s issued with new plates at the new weights.
Up-plated and downplated lorries are not usually inspected, but downplated vehicles might have to pass an official weight test before DVSA issues a new plate.
Apply to replate your lorry
You can apply online or by post. You’ll need to pay £27.
You must apply to DVLA using form V70 to re-licence the lorry once it’s replated. Send your new plating certificate VTG7 with your application.
5. Reduced emissions test
You can get your vehicle tested for a Low Emissions Certificate (LEC). This lets you drive in the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) without paying.
The Reduced Pollution Certificate (RPC) scheme to reduce your vehicle tax ended on 31 December 2016.
Eligibility
Your vehicle can be tested for a Low Emissions Certificate if it:
- was registered in the UK before 1 October 2006
- is fitted with a full filter to Low Emission Zone emissions standards
You do not need a Low Emission Certificate for a vehicle with a Euro 4, 5 or 6 engine.
Converted and re-engined vehicles
Contact DVLA if the vehicle has either:
- been fitted or converted to run solely on petrol
- had an approved gas conversion
Contact Transport for London (TfL) if your vehicle has been ‘re-engined’ to meet Low Emission Zone standards.
TfL Low Emission Zone
lezlondon@tfl.gov.uk or make an enquiry online
Telephone: 0343 222 1111
International: +44 (0)343 222 1111
Monday to Friday, 8am to 10pm
Saturday, 9am to 3pm
Find out about call charges
Book a Low Emissions Certificate test
Contact an authorised testing facility or Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) test station to book the test.
You need:
- your vehicle registration number
- your vehicle identification or chassis number
- the make, model and date of manufacture
- details of any modifications made to meet the emissions standard
- to pay the fee
It’s cheaper to have the test done at the same time as the vehicle’s annual test.
What to take to the test
If it’s been tested before you must take the vehicle’s previous Low Emissions Certificate or Reduced Pollution Certificate.
The test can be cancelled and you’ll have to pay again if you do not take the certificate.
What happens at the test
The test is in 2 parts:
- physical inspection to check any modifications, such as a filter fitted to the exhaust
- smoke opacity test to check emissions
Test result
You’ll get a Low Emissions Certificate if your vehicle passes the test.
DVSA will pass your details to TfL automatically. You cannot drive in the Low Emission Zone until your details have been updated - it takes around 3 days.
If your vehicle is registered outside Great Britain, you need to register with TfL yourself. You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not register it.
If your vehicle fails
You can appeal the result. Fill in form LEC3 and send it to DVSA. The address is on the form.
Renewing a Low Emissions Certificate
The Low Emissions Certificate has an expiry date on it. You need to get your vehicle tested again by this date if you want to continue driving in the Low Emission Zone without paying.
You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving in the Low Emission Zone without a valid Low Emissions Certificate.