Vehicle Certification Agency
Encyclopedia
The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is an executive agency
of the United Kingdom Department for Transport
, and is the UKs Type Approval
authority, and a leading certification body.
VCA have been supporting the automotive industry
since the early 1970s, with offices in the UK, North America, Japan (Asia Pacific), Korea, China, Italy, Malaysia, India and Australia.
The services that VCA provide include Type Approval
testing and certification for all road-going vehicles, including cars
, truck
s, motorcycle
s, agricultural vehicles, bus
es and coach
es, ambulance
s, fire engines and motor caravan
s, and replacement part systems and components.
They also provide ISO Management Systems Certification to:
VCA are also responsible for the production of the New Car Fuel Consumption and Emission Figures booklet, published annually and available free of charge from all new car dealers, or direct from VCA. They also manage the on-line database containing the latest data for new cars, which includes a Vehicle Excise Duty calculator.
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the United Kingdom Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
, and is the UKs Type Approval
Type approval
Type Approval is granted to a product that meets a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements. Generally, type approval is required before a product is allowed to be sold in a particular country, so the requirements for a given product will vary around the world...
authority, and a leading certification body.
VCA have been supporting the automotive industry
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
since the early 1970s, with offices in the UK, North America, Japan (Asia Pacific), Korea, China, Italy, Malaysia, India and Australia.
The services that VCA provide include Type Approval
Type approval
Type Approval is granted to a product that meets a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements. Generally, type approval is required before a product is allowed to be sold in a particular country, so the requirements for a given product will vary around the world...
testing and certification for all road-going vehicles, including cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s, agricultural vehicles, bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es and coach
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
es, ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
s, fire engines and motor caravan
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
s, and replacement part systems and components.
They also provide ISO Management Systems Certification to:
- ISO 9001
- ISO/TS 16949
- ISO 14001
- OHSAS 18001
- Eco-Management and Audit SchemeEco-Management and Audit SchemeThe Eco-Management and Audit Scheme is a voluntary environmental management instrument, which was developed in 1993 by the European Commission. It enables organisations to assess, manage and continuously improve their environmental performance. The scheme is globally applicable and open to all...
(EMAS) - AcornAcornThe acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
VCA are also responsible for the production of the New Car Fuel Consumption and Emission Figures booklet, published annually and available free of charge from all new car dealers, or direct from VCA. They also manage the on-line database containing the latest data for new cars, which includes a Vehicle Excise Duty calculator.