Roadworthiness

Roadworthiness^[1] or streetworthiness is a property or ability of a car, bus, truck or any kind of automobile to be in a suitable operating condition or meeting acceptable standards for safe driving and transport of people, baggage or cargo in roads or streets, being therefore street-legal.

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (July 2020)

In Europe, roadworthy inspection is regulated by:

• Directive 2014/45/EU, on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers,^[2]
• Directive 2014/46/EU, on the registration documents for vehicles,^[3]
• Directive 2014/47/EU, on the technical roadside inspection of the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles.^[4][5]

A Certificate of Roadworthiness (also known as a ‘roadworthy’ or ‘RWC’) attests that a vehicle is safe enough to be used on public roads. A roadworthy is required in the selling of a vehicle in some countries. It may also be required when the vehicle is re-registered, and to clear some problematic notices.^[6]

"roadworthiness certificate" means a road-worthiness test report issued by the competent authority or a testing centre containing the result of the road-worthiness test

— DIRECTIVE 2014/45/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC

Roadworthy inspection is designed to check the vehicle to make sure that its important auto parts are in a good (not top) condition that is enough for safe road use. It includes:^[6]

• mirrors
• wheels and tires
• vehicle structure
• lights and reflectors
• seats and seat belts
• steering, suspensions and braking systems
• windscreen, and windows including front wipers and washers
• other safety related items on the body, chassis or engine

Roadworthy inspection in Europe

Directive 2014/45/EU regulates the periodic testing for various kind of vehicles:

• transport of people (M1, M2, M3)
• transport of good (N1, N2, N3)
• trailers of more than 3.5 tonnes (O3, O3)
• tractors of category T5
• since January 2022, two- or three-wheel vehicles in categories L3e, L4e, L5e and L7e, with an engine displacement of more than 125 cm3.^[2]

18 of 27 EU member states have required motorcycle owners to have their vehicles checked for road-worthiness. The directive 2014/45/EU defines obligations and responsibilities, minimum requirements concerning road-worthiness tests, administrative provisions and cooperation and exchange of information.

Minimum requirements concerning road-worthiness tests encompass date and frequency of testing, contents and methods of testing, assessment of deficiencies, road-worthiness certificate, follow-up of deficiencies and proof of test.^[2]

The test shall cover at least the following areas:

(0) Identification of the vehicle;

(1) Braking equipment;

(2) Steering;

(3) Visibility;

(4) Lighting equipment and parts of the electrical system;

(5) Axles, wheels, tires, suspension;

(6) Chassis and chassis attachments;

(7) Other equipment;

(8) Nuisance;

(9) Supplementary tests for passenger-carrying vehicles of categories M2 and M3

— 2014/45/EU