The Technical Regulations Division of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority advises economic operators involved in the placing on the market of new motor vehicles and their trailers, as well as systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, that these need to be type approved and properly marked according to the requirements of Directive 2007/46/EC, which regulates the placing on the market of such products.

The main objective of the legislation on the approval of vehicles is to ensure that new vehicles, components and separate technical units provide a high level of safety and environmental protection.

This aim should not be impaired by the fitting of certain parts or equipment after vehicles have been placed on the market or entered service. Hence, if anybody places such components on the market, such as ancillary lighting, sound modification, replacement silencing systems and body and engine parts, intended to be fitted type approved vehicles, these components need to comply with the type approval certification of the vehicle they are intended to be used on.

Thus, if a consumer asks a supplier to provide him with such a component, the supplier and consumer are duty bound to ensure that the component conforms with the certification of the vehicle it is intended for.

If the component does not meet these requirements, the Certificate of Conformity of the vehicle could become invalid and the vehicle would be circulating on the road against legal requirements, possibly posing a risk to consumers.

The Technical Regulations Division of the MCCAA can be contacted on 2395 2000 or info@mccaa.org.mt.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.