Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Rule requirements

Situation

Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Exhaust Emissions 2003 (the Emissions Rule) requires that a vehicle being certified for entry into service in New Zealand for the first time must have been manufactured in accordance with an approved emission standard. This infosheet sets out the means of compliance with the entry certification requirements in the rule.

If you wish to import a motor vehicle to New Zealand, you may wish to check if it qualifies as an immigrant’s vehicle (of Class MA, MB or MC) or a ‘special interest vehicle’, in which case you may find it does not have to meet an emissions standard. Details are provided in Factsheet 44a and Factsheet 44b.

For further information on emissions policies see the Ministry of Transport website at http://www.transport.govt.nz.

Entry certification requirements under the rule

The Emissions Rule requires proof that a vehicle was manufactured to meet an approved emissions standard at entry certification. This has established an exhaust emissions baseline for motor vehicles entering New Zealand.

This means that all vehicles of the specified classes must demonstrate compliance with an approved exhaust emissions standard when they are certified for entry into service in New Zealand for the first time.

This infosheet deals with the requirements for all affected vehicles, and describes what the Entry Certifiers need to know and do.

To find out more about vehicle classes that need to meet emissions standards, you may wish to use Infosheet 1.10: Vehicle classes and the standards they must meet. The Emissions Rule itself can also be read on this website at www.landtransport.govt.nz/rules. Note that a ‘light’ vehicle is one of gross vehicle mass (GVM) up to and including 3500 kg, and a ‘heavy’ vehicle is one whose GVM exceeds 3500 kg.

The Rule applies at the time of entry certification to vehicles that operate on petrol or diesel. The light vehicles covered by the Rule are those of classes MA, MB, MC, MD1, MD2 and NA. The heavy vehicles covered are those of classes MD3, MD4, ME, NB and NC. The Rule also covers scratchbuilt heavy vehicles as well as scratchbuilt light vehicles and modified light production vehicles that are low-volume vehicles.

Clarification

The applicable standards for used vehicles are listed in Table 1. For used vehicles the appropriate version of a standard is that which was applicable at the date of the vehicle's manufacture, or a more recent version of that standard.

The appropriate versions of the standards for new vehicles are given in Tables 2 and 3.

Proof of Emissions Rule compliance for used vehicles

Newly imported used vehicles that meet all other approved vehicle standards for entry into New Zealand are likely to comply with the Emissions Rule. However, proof of compliance, by one of the methods outlined below, will still be required.

Acceptable evidence of compliance for used vehicles from any country

For a used vehicle imported from any country, a Statement of Compliance, including an approved emissions standard (listed in Table 1) is acceptable evidence of compliance. The emissions standard provided in the Statement of Compliance must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet.

Alternatively, one of the following methods may be used to prove emissions compliance.

Acceptable evidence of compliance for used vehicles from Japan

• An original Export Certificate with an Emissions Code and a hyphen at the beginning of the industry model code (see circled area on Figures 1, and 2). Acceptable Emissions Code characters are listed in Table 4. This emissions code information must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet and also entered into LANDATA. Enter the full industry model code from the Export Certificate, including the Emissions Code characters, into the industry model code field

or

• An original Completion Inspection Certificate with an Emissions Code and a hyphen at the beginning of the industry model code (see circled area on Figure 3). Acceptable Emissions Code characters are listed in Table 4. This emissions code information must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet and also entered into LANDATA. Enter the full industry model code from the Completion Inspection Certificate, including the Emissions Code characters, into the industry model code field.

Acceptable evidence of compliance for used vehicles from Australia

• An ADR plate. The ADR plate will identify either an ADR emissions standard to which the vehicle was built, being one of the emissions standards listed in Table 1, and/or a Compliance Plate Approval Number. If an emissions standard is on the plate, this must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet. If there is no emissions standard on the plate, then the Compliance Plate Approval Number must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet.

Acceptable evidence of compliance for used vehicles from Europe

• An EEC Whole Vehicle Approval Plate. The EEC Whole Vehicle Approval Number must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet

or

• A UN/ECE Compliance Plate listing an applicable emissions standard. The emissions standard identified must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet.

Acceptable evidence of compliance for used vehicles from the United States

• A FMVSS plate with either an EPA plate or proof that the vehicle was first registered in the United States or was built for the United States market (indicating the vehicle would have been built to United States vehicle emissions requirements). (Note that a FMVSS plate does not actually refer to a vehicle emissions standard.) If the vehicle has an EPA plate, then the emissions standard identified on the EPA plate must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet; otherwise ‘FMVSS’ and the date of the FMVSS plate must be recorded on the vehicle checksheet.

Proof of Emissions Rule compliance for new vehicles

• For new light vehicles certified for entry into the fleet by the manufacturer’s agent, the documentation must include proof that the vehicle was manufactured in compliance with an applicable emissions standard listed in Table 2 or 3.
• For modified low-volume vehicles, if the engine, exhaust system or other exhaust emissions-related components – or their arrangement – has not been modified, the requirements of the Emissions Rule are the same as for the vehicle before it was modified.
• For other low-volume vehicles – including scratch-built light vehicles – any requirements provided in the Low-Volume Vehicle Code must be met. The vehicle must have a low-volume vehicle plate that lists the engine and/or exhaust system in the modifications listed.
• For new heavy vehicles certified for entry into the fleet, the evidence of compliance (eg. Statement of Compliance or compliance plate) must include proof that the vehicle was manufactured in compliance with an applicable emissions standard listed in Table 2 or 3.
• For scratch-built heavy vehicles certified for entry into the fleet, the evidence must include proof that the vehicle was built in compliance with an applicable emissions standard listed in Table 2 or 3.

Action

If the vehicle does not have evidence of compliance with an approved emissions standard, the entry inspector must fail the vehicle and refer the vehicle owner to Land Transport New Zealand’s Vehicle Certification Unit for further advice (tel: 0800 699 000; mail: PO Box 2840, Wellington).

Tables

Table 1: Applicable emissions standards for used vehicles

Table 1 continued: Applicable emissions standards for used vehicles

Table 2: Applicable emissions standards for new petrol-powered vehicles

Table 3: Applicable emissions standards for new diesel-powered vehicles

Table 4: Character sets on Japanese Deregistration Certificates

Figure 1: Export Certificate (Japan) – Cars less than 660 cc

Figure 2: Export Certificate (Japan) (vehicles over 660cc excluding motorcycles)

Figure 3: Japanese Completion Inspection Certificate

Appendix 1: Abbreviations used in Tables 2 and 3

These are taken from the Definitions section of the Emissions Rule.