Statement of Independence and Impartiality

The National Vehicle Service Register is an independent, not-for-profit body. It is not a government department, agency or regulator, and it exercises no statutory function.

The Register is not owned or controlled by, and is not a subsidiary or trading arm of, any vehicle manufacturer, franchised dealer group, garage chain, parts supplier, insurer, warranty provider, auction house, vehicle valuation service or trade association.

The Register operates on a not-for-profit basis. Any surplus is applied to the operation, security and development of the register itself, and is not distributed.

The Register is funded by participation fees paid by workshops on identical published terms, and by cost-recovery charges for optional bulk or integration services.

Fees purchase access to the platform and to the administration of verification. They do not purchase, and cannot be represented as purchasing, a favourable verification decision, protection from enforcement, or any influence over a published entry.

A workshop's fee status is invisible to the compliance function when a decision is taken on verification, an amendment or an enforcement action.

Verification, amendment and enforcement decisions are taken against published criteria. Every decision records the criteria applied and the reasons for the outcome.

The same criteria apply irrespective of the size, brand affiliation or trading volume of a workshop. A single-technician independent garage and a national chain are assessed identically.

Every decision carries a right of review by a person not involved in the original decision, under the Complaints and Appeals Procedure (NVSR-CAP-001).

Any person involved in a Register decision must declare any interest in the outcome, including a financial interest, a family or personal relationship with a party, current or recent employment by a party, and any commercial arrangement with a party.

A declared interest disqualifies that person from the decision, which is reassigned. The declaration and the reassignment are recorded in the audit trail.

An undeclared interest that comes to light is treated as a serious matter and, where it affected a decision, that decision is reopened.

The Register reproduces MOT test history from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency MOT History service, attributed at the point of display. That reproduction does not imply endorsement, approval, affiliation or any relationship of agency with the DVSA, the DVLA or any government body.

The Register does not hold or seek access to keeper details from the DVLA, and does not use register data to identify a vehicle keeper.

The Register publishes its full governance framework, each instrument carrying a document reference, version and effective date, so that any person can see the rules under which a decision was taken.

Aggregate integrity statistics — including amendments, restrictions, investigations and enforcement outcomes — are published so that the Register's own performance can be scrutinised.

Any person who believes this Statement has been breached may say so through the contact form under category C6. Such reports are treated as complaints about the Register and are handled at Stage 2 of the Complaints and Appeals Procedure.