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Distance driven for an IVA test
Slimy38 - 8/12/25 at 11:23 AM

I'm getting my IVA booked in, and calling them for Kidderminster, Derby and Nottingham reveals that the first two are booked up for January and February, and Nottingham is closed. I'm waiting for a call back from a private facility in Castle Donington, but if that has no availability I'm going to have to go further afield.

The next ones are 80-100 miles away. Is this a pretty standard thing, has anyone else had to travel 2-3 times as far as expected in order to get an appointment? I suspect a 2 hour drive followed by a 4 hour test then another 2 hours drive will make for a very tiring day, especially if the appointment is first thing.

Sanzomat - 8/12/25 at 11:53 AM

If you do end up travelling that kind of distance it might be worth considering Avonmouth (about 90 miles from Wolverhampton). Everyone I know who has been tested there is very complementary about how friendly and helpful the staff there are. No idea how busy they are though.

nick205 - 8/12/25 at 12:00 PM

Winchester to Southampton for my SVA test - 18 miles (with a support car following).

JAG - 8/12/25 at 02:39 PM

I did my SVA (back in 2005) at Nottingham and drove from Studley in Warwickshire.

It's roughly 65 miles and took nearly two hours, I had a friend follow me there and back.

It was fun to actually drive the car - although it started snowing while I was on the M1

gremlin1234 - 8/12/25 at 02:49 PM

something in my memory says the private test sites don't do kit cars. but this may have changed.

Slimy38 - 8/12/25 at 03:55 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
something in my memory says the private test sites don't do kit cars. but this may have changed.


Yeah I contacted them this morning and it's been unusually quiet...

Slimy38 - 8/12/25 at 03:57 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Sanzomat
If you do end up travelling that kind of distance it might be worth considering Avonmouth (about 90 miles from Wolverhampton). Everyone I know who has been tested there is very complementary about how friendly and helpful the staff there are. No idea how busy they are though.


Yeah that's the Bristol site isn't it? I've got Bristol, Chadderton and Leighton Buzzard as the next 'tier' of test stations, all around 100 miles away from me. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if there's any available, thanks for the recommendation.

Slimy38 - 8/12/25 at 03:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by JAG
I did my SVA (back in 2005) at Nottingham and drove from Studley in Warwickshire.


quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Winchester to Southampton for my SVA test - 18 miles (with a support car following).


You're both braver than I am, I'll be hiring a trailer for my test! Hopefully once the car is registered I'll build up the confidence to drive longer distances but for my first drive I'm not brave enough to go that far.

Slimy38 - 8/12/25 at 04:13 PM

OK, booked in at Bristol in February...

gremlin1234 - 8/12/25 at 07:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
OK, booked in at Bristol in February...

excellent, good luck,
I still suggest posting some pics so the experts here may give their insightful knowledge

ps someone here had a problem taking their car on a trailer to Leighton Buzzard, as there was a width restriction about half a mile from the test centre.

nick205 - 9/12/25 at 08:58 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Winchester to Southampton for my SVA test - 18 miles (with a support car following).



The Southampton test site is very close to Southampton docks. It had a constant stream of Japanese import cars rolling through being inspected and given the ALL CLEAR to drive in the UK. The drivers bringing these cars through were on first name terms with the testers and it was a slick operation. Most of the cars were 3-4 years old and looked almost new.

Sanzomat - 9/12/25 at 09:04 AM

"had a fantastic day at the test center even thought it failed , but only on 7 items
1 brake low pressure to the rear brakes ,I think it may be still air in the system as i have been having a torrid time bleeding the system :emoji_rage:
2 The pivot pins to the bonnet i had forgot to fit R clips:emoji_flushed:
3 I had wired the fog lights to the side lights and not dipped beam :emoji_upside_down:
4 The fuel filler cap wasn't tethered to the fuel tank :emoji_upside_down:
5 speedometer was out of calibration
6 I had a brake flued label but it wasn't marked up with the appropriate .4 fluid :emoji_upside_down:
7 I had the wrong weights on the vin plate they should have been Gross weight not curb weight :emoji_rage:
The guys at Avonmouth are fantastic they are very helpful
Now to get all the fixes done and get it booked back in for a retest ASAP
All in all a very positive day and im the little bit closer to being able to get it road legal so it can be driven to Malvern :emoji_sunglasses:
Big thank you to all you guys for all your help"

Hope it goes well on the day (especially as I suggested Avonmouth!) Above is a copy/paste from the Kitnet forum from a guy named Mark who had his RS200 replica tested there this Feb (and re-tested in April when it passed). The only other advice I've heard recently is that apparently the tester is fond of lemon drizzle cake so if you've been concentrating when watching bakeoff...

TimC - 9/12/25 at 12:54 PM

I had a 1st time pass at Avonmouth - Aug 2023. It was a really good experience.

My advice is:
1, You get out in correlation to what you put in. Read the manual. Watch the MK videos. Read the, 'How to pass IVA' guide from DVSA. Leave as little as possible to chance. Go to an MOT station and check your headlamp alignment and emissions. I had a great response out of the testers because it was evident that I really gave a sh*t and had followed the rules.
2. Take the right attitude with you. Be courteous and polite. They'll give you the same back - plus help and pointers. When they are telling you about their negative experiences with people trying to pass IVA, you know you are on the right track.
3. Make their lives easy. I had photos of difficult to see areas and even a video which showed how the brake bias was locked-off - no subterfuge, just trying to make their job as straightforward as possible.

Mine was not an easy car to get a pass for and they did come down on my side in two marginal areas - but, I think, only because of the points above.
IVA Pass
IVA Pass

gremlin1234 - 9/12/25 at 05:37 PM

quote:
You're both braver than I am, I'll be hiring a trailer for my test! Hopefully once the car is registered I'll build up the confidence to drive longer distances but for my first drive I'm not brave enough to go that far.

I suggest you trailer it there, and if it passes, you drive it back, with a friend bringing the home trailer separately.

[Edited on 9/12/25 by gremlin1234]

Slimy38 - 9/12/25 at 06:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
I suggest you trailer it there, and if it passes, you drive it back, with a friend bringing the home trailer separately.
[Edited on 9/12/25 by gremlin1234]


Ooh now there's an idea!

Slimy38 - 9/12/25 at 06:20 PM

quote:
Originally posted by TimC
I had a 1st time pass at Avonmouth - Aug 2023. It was a really good experience.

My advice is:
1, You get out in correlation to what you put in. Read the manual. Watch the MK videos. Read the, 'How to pass IVA' guide from DVSA. Leave as little as possible to chance. Go to an MOT station and check your headlamp alignment and emissions. I had a great response out of the testers because it was evident that I really gave a sh*t and had followed the rules.
2. Take the right attitude with you. Be courteous and polite. They'll give you the same back - plus help and pointers. When they are telling you about their negative experiences with people trying to pass IVA, you know you are on the right track.
3. Make their lives easy. I had photos of difficult to see areas and even a video which showed how the brake bias was locked-off - no subterfuge, just trying to make their job as straightforward as possible.

Mine was not an easy car to get a pass for and they did come down on my side in two marginal areas - but, I think, only because of the points above.
IVA Pass
IVA Pass


I'm thinking of writing a bit of a build manual from my blog and photos taken along the way, all aligned with the sections of the IVA. That way as they work through the IVA I can keep up with documented evidence to give them an easy time of it. Just checking my build folder I have just over 2,000 photos so hopefully I can filter them down to IVA relevant pictures. As you say, to demonstrate how I've thought about the IVA as I've made decisions.

I do need to get the emissions checked though, that's the last big question mark.

Slimy38 - 9/12/25 at 09:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
something in my memory says the private test sites don't do kit cars. but this may have changed.


Oh, I forgot to feedback on this one. You're right, the private test site in Castle Donington responded to my email and said they don't do kit cars. Of course I'd already booked into Bristol by the time the email came so either way would have ended up the same.

gremlin1234 - 10/12/25 at 12:35 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I do need to get the emissions checked though, that's the last big question mark.

what engine are you using?

nick205 - 10/12/25 at 05:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I do need to get the emissions checked though, that's the last big question mark.

what engine are you using?



Can you get it to a local garage for an emissions test ahead of the IVA?

Slimy38 - 10/12/25 at 06:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
I do need to get the emissions checked though, that's the last big question mark.

what engine are you using?


MX5 NA 1.6, nothing complex. The only problem is that it has an engine date of August 92, so it'll be a cat test.

Slimy38 - 10/12/25 at 06:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Can you get it to a local garage for an emissions test ahead of the IVA?


The plan had been to take the car to the garage and get them to go through an MOT process. But I'm a bit wary of the garage now they did something not very nice to my wife's car last MOT. I was actually wondering whether mobile mechanics have the ability to measure emissions.

gremlin1234 - 11/12/25 at 02:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
MX5 NA 1.6, nothing complex. The only problem is that it has an engine date of August 92, so it'll be a cat test.
I suspect that unless you are using absolutely everything from the doner engine, inc original exhaust, engine management system; you can say 'no exact match' in the databases. and they can test to the lower standard of
"CO <= 3.5% HC <= 1200ppm"
and this may be easier, for you, and for future MOT's
BUT may give headaches in the future for low emission zones etc.

personally, I suggest, try to attain the CAT limits, but keep the 'no exact match' as a wildcard

Slimy38 - 11/12/25 at 04:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
MX5 NA 1.6, nothing complex. The only problem is that it has an engine date of August 92, so it'll be a cat test.
I suspect that unless you are using absolutely everything from the doner engine, inc original exhaust, engine management system; you can say 'no exact match' in the databases. and they can test to the lower standard of
"CO <= 3.5% HC <= 1200ppm"
and this may be easier, for you, and for future MOT's
BUT may give headaches in the future for low emission zones etc.

personally, I suggest, try to attain the CAT limits, but keep the 'no exact match' as a wildcard


I'm not overly worried about lower emissions zones, they're all round places I wouldn't want to drive to!

How does the no exact match work then? I've got a letter of engine age from Mazda to confirm the date, is that going to help or hinder if I'm aiming for no exact match?

The exhaust is the main bit that's different, I've kept the manifold and the cat but replaced the silencer and piping. Is that sufficient to class it as 'no exact match'?

Do normal people have access to that emissions data book? Is it online? I am wondering what the MX5 1.6 would have had as it's emissions data given that it was very early on in the cat years.

gremlin1234 - 11/12/25 at 04:59 PM

I think there maybe a later version. but the appendices are the same

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a81bcf5ed915d74e6233d90/in-service-exhaust-emission-standards-for-road-vehicles-19th-edition.pdf
and this from the iva test manual

https://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=showphoto&photo=emm50.jpg

Description
Description

edits make links work

edit, sorry screen grab is so poor, but see secn 02b in iva document

[Edited on 11/12/25 by gremlin1234]

gremlin1234 - 11/12/25 at 05:25 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Slimy38
[The exhaust is the main bit that's different, I've kept the manifold and the cat but replaced the silencer and piping. Is that sufficient to class it as 'no exact match'?

as always it may depend on the tester on the day, but in my opinion: it is clearly not an mx5, so not an exact match

Slimy38 - 11/12/25 at 09:34 PM

Thanks for the link to the emissions standard, that is really appreciated. It only lists one Mazda MX5 1.6, and strictly speaking mine is a Eunos as it's a Japanese import.

As you say it will depend on the tester on the day, but fingers crossed it'll pass which will be the first target.