A vehicle manufacturer who wants to sell vehicles manufactured in the European Union, must be a holder of an EC Type-Approval Certificate. It will obtain this certificate from EU approval authority (in the Slovak Republic it is the Ministry of Transport and Construction of the Slovak Republic, the Section of Road Transport and Roads, the Transport Authority) after it meets the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The regulation lays down the general technical requirements for new vehicles in order to facilitate their registration, sale and putting into operation within the EU traffic. In practice this means that the manufacturer must enable the approval authority to verify the requirements of the Regulation 2018/858 in the place of production in relation to the selected sample of vehicles.

A. before the EC Type-Approval Certificate is granted, in the form of the Initial Assessment of the Manufacturer

B. after the EC Type-Approval Certificate was granted, in the form of the Continuous Assessment of the Manufacturer

Each assessment of the manufacturer, initial/continuous, is carried out in two steps:

1. Type tests and measurements of the vehicle

2. The verification of compliance of the manufacturer`s production procedures with the vehicle type being approved/approved vehicle type

On the basis of authorisation, the approval authority will select a technical service for the requirements 1 and 2.

1. Type tests and measurements of the vehicle

Technical Service of A Category (ZV-TEST). Overenie prebieha tak, že carries out these tests and measurements. The verification consists of individual inspections and tests prescribed in regulatory acts required for the EC Type-Approval of vehicles in relation to samples taken in the manufacturer`s premises.

2. The verification of compliance of the manufacturer`s production procedures with the vehicle type being approved/approved vehicle type

The verification of compliance of the manufacturer`s production procedures with the vehicle type being approved/approved vehicle type

is carried out by Technical service of C Category (Approval of QECON, spol. s r.o.). The confirmation of compliance of production processes is to ensure that each manufactured vehicle, system, component, separate technical unit, part or equipment complies with the approved type. The confirmation of compliance of production processes is carried out in the form of the Initial Assessment and the Continuous Assessment of compliance of manufacturer`s production processes with the vehicle type being approved/approved vehicle type.

The verification of compliance of the manufacturer`s production processes is focused on the inspection and assessment of:

• the preparation and maintenance of company documentation,
• employees` competence and education,
• production location and other places of production,
• initial, production and output quality control of the vehicle,

ensuring that only vehicles that comply with the approved type will be marketed.

The initial assessment of compliance of the manufacturer`s production procedures with the vehicle type being approved

Before the EC Type-Approval Certificate is granted, the approval authority (the EC type-approval authority of the member state) must verify whether the manufacturer has implemented satisfactory measures and procedures in order to ensure that vehicles, systems, components, separate technical units, parts or equipment is manufactured in compliance with the approved type.

The continuous assessment of compliance of the manufacturer`s production procedures with the approved vehicle type

After the EC Type-Approval Certificate was granted, the approval authority can any time inspect the implemented methods of inspection of conformity of production procedures with the approved vehicle type. The manufacturer must enable the approval authority to carry out this verification in the form of the continuous assessment. Otherwise, the approval authority will revoke the EC Type-Approval Certificate. There is a two-year usual frequency of verification and therefore the first verification must be carried out within two years of the first day of the issuance of the EC Type-Approval Certificate. Further continuous assessment is carried out on a two-year basis