We are an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport and exist to improve vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to internationally recognised standards.
Designated by the Secretary of State to discharge their statutory responsibility for operating national and UNECE type approval schemes, we approve most categories of new vehicles from locations in the UK and overseas. We have also been designated to act as the UK authority for the certification of packaging and intermediate bulk containers used for the transport of dangerous goods.
With more than 40 years’ experience, we have become one of the largest and well-respected approval bodies around. This position has been built on a reputation for technical expertise and quality, which is at the heart of everything we do.
Click here to view our latest Annual Report and Accounts and Business Plans.
Key Activities
- Type approval, which is confirmation that production samples of a vehicle, system or component design will meet specified performance standards.
- Conformity of Production (COP) testing which is a means of evidencing a manufacturers’ ability to produce a series of products that exactly match the specification, performance and marking requirements outlined in the type approval documentation.
- Certification of packaging and intermediate bulk containers used for the transport of dangerous goods and the appointment of Authorised Inspection Bodies.
- Provision of a fully searchable automotive legislation data on a subscription basis. We can provide copies of all automotive European Union and UN ECE legislation in a number of ways, and supply interested customers with up-to-the-minute information on key dates associated with the legislation though our LegStat system.
- Provision of car and van fuel /CO2 databases, which aim to provide data for most new cars and light vans available for sale in the UK.
- Enforcement of fuel consumption and CO2 data provision in promotional literature.
- Other certification activities, including but not exclusive to Non-road Mobile Machinery, Vehicle Special Orders and individual vehicle certification for vehicles approved and registered in an EU member State.
Our Locations
Our main headquarters are located in Bristol, with an office and test facilities on the HORIBA MIRA site at Nuneaton and at the Millbrook Proving Ground near Milton Keynes.
Our Dangerous Goods team is based in Leatherhead, Surrey.
Overseas, we have offices in North and South America, Japan, China, India, South Korea and Australia.
United Kingdom 
Japan 
China 
India 
North America 
South America 
Australia 
South Korea Jobs & Contracts
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Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Values
Our Vision
Is to be an organisation that is admired and respected for our people, their professionalism and impartiality.
Our Mission
Safe, Clean, Secure – Inspiring confidence in vehicle standards through impartial testing and certification.
Our Values
Professionalism, Respect, Objectivity, Impartiality, Integrity, Honesty
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
The work we do takes an incredible community of people, with different skills, backgrounds, cultures and identities, which is why it’s important to us all colleagues are offered equal opportunities across VCA. We are passionate about supporting career development and training for diversifying skills and gaining qualifications, helping individuals reach their full potential and career aspirations. The mental and physical wellbeing of our colleagues is equally important to us, and the focus of many campaigns and events we run throughout the year for all colleagues to get involved.
Civil servants follow the standards set out by the Civil Service Code. We promote these behaviours across our work, along with our mission and values, to be at our best. We recruit candidates by merit and fair assessment, outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles. Information we ask for during the recruitment process, including details of your age, gender and ethnicity, does not play any part in our decision making.
We believe our colleagues should feel heard and we support their freedom to speak up. There are several ways colleagues can share their experiences and voice any concerns at VCA, including local champions and networking groups, to help us improve.
Read more about the Civil Service code here
Read more about the Civil Service recruitment principles here