Motor vehicle – Reporting technical modifications

Are you planning to make technical modifications to your motor vehicle or a trailer?
This may result in the vehicle’s type approval being revoked. Only once you have demonstrated, in such cases, that the technical modifications comply with the regulations will the registration authority be able to issue a new type approval for the vehicle.

Before carrying out any installation or modification, check whether

• this will affect the roadworthiness certificate or
• the modification is eligible for approval at all and whether you can obtain a favourable assessment for a new roadworthiness certificatel.

Tip: Please consult officially recognised experts in motor vehicle traffic or test engineersior engineers at a monitoring organisation.

Certain technical modifications must be assessed by the Technical Inspection Authority or an approved inspection organisation (for example, TÜV, DEKRA, GTÜ, KÜS, GTS, FSP). You must then notify the registration authority of these modifications as soon as possible. These include, for example:

• Changes to the vehicle class or the vehicle and body type
• Changes to engine capacity, rated power, fuel type or energy source
• An increase in the design-determined maximum speed
• A reduction in the maximum design speed, if this is relevant to the driving licence or registration
• Changes to the permissible axle loads, gross vehicle mass, support load or towing capacity
• Increase in vehicle dimensions, except for passenger cars and motorcycles
• Changes to the number of seats or standing places in buses
• Changes to exhaust emissions or noise levels, insofar as these affect motor vehicle tax or driving restrictions