Guides: EU homologation explained
The questions that come up regardless of which country or which origin market you're dealing with: what the paperwork actually means, what things really cost, and a few myths worth retiring.
Importing an Electric Vehicle From Outside the EU: Charging Standards and What Changes
Europe standardized on Type 2/CCS2. China uses GB/T. Japan uses CHAdeMO for DC fast charging and Type 1 for AC. If your EV's connector doesn't match, that's a real hardware issue, not paperwork, and it's separate from the homologation process itself.
What Does Homologating a Car in the EU Actually Cost?
There's no single EU-wide number, because the process itself isn't EU-wide: it's a national procedure with a national fee schedule, plus whatever modification your specific vehicle needs. Here's what's actually fixed, what varies, and the real fees we can point to.
Do You Need to Convert a Right-Hand-Drive Car to Left-Hand Drive for EU Registration?
No. "RHD to LHD conversion" usually means physically moving the steering wheel and pedals, a rare, expensive, structurally invasive job that isn't required anywhere in the EU. What a right-hand-drive import actually needs is much smaller: headlight beam pattern, mirrors, and a few other adaptation items.
The Real Document Checklist for Importing a Non-EU Car Into Europe
Purchase proof, the vehicle's foreign registration papers, customs proof of Union status, insurance, and (usually) no Certificate of Conformity. Here's what you actually need before homologation can even start, and what commonly trips people up.
Can You Drive a Non-EU Car on Public Roads Before It's Homologated?
No, not legally: a vehicle without EU type approval or individual approval isn't registered yet, and an unregistered, uninsured vehicle can't be driven on public roads. That's exactly why it goes to the technical inspection on a trailer, not under its own power.
EU Certificate of Conformity vs. Individual Approval: What's the Difference
A Certificate of Conformity says a vehicle already has EU type approval. Individual approval is the separate route for a vehicle that doesn't, which is why almost every car imported from outside Europe needs it.