Vehicle Safety Standards

If you follow the Government’s regulations and guidelines on vehicle standards and permissible modifications, there are certain modifications you can carry out on your motor vehicle for specific functional purposes. Information ranging from regulations to “Guide to Notifiable Alteration – Motor Vehicle” and “Alterations and Modifications to Vehicles Do’s and Don’ts” is available online.

Steps to Go

Before you make any alterations to your car, you need to take the following key steps:

• Consult your vehicle manufacturer or agent in advance on whether the proposed alteration is supported.
• Consult your insurance agent in advance. Failure to do so may affect your insurance coverage.
• Make sure your proposed alterations do not breach any regulations including Road Traffic Ordinance, Cap 374 and Road Traffic (Construction and Maintenance of Vehicles) Regulations, Cap 374A.

• Submit your application of the proposed alteration together with the vehicle manufacturer’s supporting documents to the Vehicle Safety and Standards Division of Transport Department for approval.
• After securing approval in principle, send your car to your vehicle manufacturer or agent, or a reputable private vehicle garage for the alteration work. Depending on the approval, you may need submitting the modified car to Transport Department for final approval.

Vehicle Safety Recall

A summary of vehicle safety recall information on various car manufacturers is available from the link below. You can access the details about make and model number, description of defect and remedial actions.