ANCAP has raised concerns about the misuse of the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle (SEV) scheme, alleging that it is being exploited to import potentially unsafe second-hand electric vehicles (EVs). The agency is calling on the Federal Government to revise the policy to ensure better safety standards.
ANCAP Chief Executive Carla Hoorweg expressed worries during the Federal House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water. She indicated that the SEV scheme, intended for importing unique or historical vehicles, is being used to bring in batches of used EVs that are not subjected to ANCAP’s rigorous safety testing.
“We have concerns about the import regulations that allow second-hand or used electric vehicles to be imported through the specialists and enthusiast vehicles mechanism,” Hoorweg said.
“We don’t believe that is the intention of that mechanism to be used to wholesale import used electric vehicles and we have concerns about the safety of those vehicles.”
Technical and Safety Concerns
Under the SEV scheme, vehicles imported into Australia must meet specific requirements, including not being available for sale in Australia recently and passing technical compliance checks. However, Hoorweg highlighted issues with this process.
ANCAP requires a minimum of four vehicles of the same make, model, and variant to conduct a safety assessment. This is challenging when dealing with small batches of vehicles, which might not have identical specifications.
“When you’re importing individual one-off vehicles, there is no way for us to provide that safety information on those individual vehicles because we can’t validate the specifications that are on each vehicle,” Hoorweg explained.
“Our concern is that it’s essentially subverting ANCAP’s rating system. It’s creating unintended consequences.”
Ongoing Debate
Since the introduction of the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018, which fully came into effect in July 2023, the SEV scheme has allowed a broader range of vehicles, including EVs, to enter the Australian market. This expansion aims to offer consumers more choices but has sparked debate over safety standards and regulatory compliance.
With 13,958 vehicles imported under the SEV register since June 2022, the discussion over the safety and oversight of these imports remains critical.
As ANCAP continues to advocate for stricter regulations, the conversation highlights the need for a balanced approach to importing vehicles while ensuring public safety.
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