YOTO Two documents, often confused #
| Document | Who issues it | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| EU type-approval (WVTA) | A member state approval authority | The type has been approved against Reg. 168/2013. Issued once per type, not per vehicle. |
| Certificate of conformity (COC) | The manufacturer holding the approval | This individual vehicle conforms to the approved type. One per vehicle, and it is what the registration office reads. |
A supplier who can show an approval but not a per-vehicle certificate has not shown you something you can register.
What a certificate contains #
A complete-vehicle certificate is a numbered form. The fields that matter to a buyer are the category and sub-category, the type/variant/version, the maximum speed, the rated power, the mass in running order, the technically permissible laden mass, the dimensions, the seating positions and the tyre sizes. Every one of those can block a registration if the delivered vehicle disagrees with it.
The category boundaries that decide everything #
| Category | Wheels | Speed | Power | Unladen mass | Typical licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L2e-U | 3 | ≤ 45 km/h | ≤ 4 kW | ≤ 270 kg excl. battery | AM from 16 |
| L5e-A | 3 | > 45 km/h | no ceiling | no limit specified | A1 from 16 up to 15 kW |
| L6e-BP | 4 | ≤ 45 km/h | ≤ 6 kW | ≤ 425 kg | AM from 16 |
| L7e-CP | 4 | > 45 km/h | ≤ 15 kW | ≤ 450 kg excl. battery | B1 from 16, B from 18 |
| L7e-CU | 4 | > 45 km/h | ≤ 15 kW | ≤ 600 kg excl. battery | B1 from 16, B from 18 |
Limits per Reg. (EU) 168/2013 Annex I. Licence columns describe the usual position in most member states; the national rule governs.
Five steps from order to plate #
- 01 Match the model to the category
Start from the licence your customer holds, then work back to a model that fits the limits.
- 02 Get the certificate for that type
Before the order. If a supplier cannot produce it, the rest of the conversation is speculative.
- 03 Fix the configuration
Colour, battery, body, packing. Confirm which variant the certificate covers.
- 04 Import and declare
Customs entry with the right category code; invoice and VIN consistent with the certificate.
- 05 Register locally
The national office checks category, masses, seats and plate against the certificate.
Four claims that do not survive inspection #
- "EEC approved." EEC type-approval was replaced by EC and then EU approval. The current framework is Reg. (EU) 168/2013. A document using the EEC wording is either old or invented.
- "CE certified." L-category vehicles are type-approved, not CE-marked. CE marking belongs to a different set of directives. A vehicle advertised as CE certified for its whole-vehicle approval is a red flag.
- "COC means approved." A certificate of conformity is evidence that a vehicle conforms to an approval. On its own it proves nothing about the type.
- "Limited to 45 km/h, so it is a moped category." Speed is one of several limits. Power and mass decide the rest.