Ok, so that's the intro over. Here's what you are going to need to know if you want to get a buggy road legal in the UK. Bear in mind that this info is to the best of my current knowledge and if you have any extra experience, please let me know or post a comment. There is very likely to be stuff I've not covered here.

Firstly, is your buggy/cart over 10 years old? If so, you have a much much much easier job to do. If not, then you are going to need to put in loads of extras and get it through an MSVA test. Here's the rough roadmap you need in either case:-

If over 10 years old:-
- You need to get it through an MOT according to the regs that applied the year of manufacture. To do this, you'll need a receipt showing when it was bought as proof, and a copy of "The Road Vehicles (Cosntruction and Use) Regulations 1986" as a guide. This is about as easy to read as Dostoyevsky, so here are the basics that apply to golf carts: firstly, you'll need some kind of independant handbrake mechanism that works on either to front or rear wheels. Secondly, you'll need to sort out basic lights and possibly seatbelts (I'm still researching this). Finally, you'll need road legal tyres.
- Assuming you get throught the MOT, you can then take the certificate down to the DVLA together with a V55/5 form, and get a VIN (Vehicle Identifiation Number) number issued.
- You then can go and get a Q plate
- You can then get taxed and insured and you're on your way

If under 10 years old:-
- You'll need to get hold of the MSVA regulations test handbook. It's very well laid out and v easy to read. Ask me if you want to borrow a copy. Then you'll need to go through every item exhaustively and make sure your buggy complies. This is going to mean a *lot* of work depending on the model of your buggy. Loosely, these are the main big problems to overcome: firstly you need brakes on both front and back wheels, plus an independent handbrake system. There are ways of doing this that I've researched, but none look easy or cheap. Secondly, you need a full complement of lights that conform to the SVA regs - not simple but not impossible either. Thirdly, you'll need to sort 3 point seatbelts and this can be problematic on some models, although there are solutions. Finally, you'll need all the basic instruments such as horns, speedos etc. that a modern car should have.
- Once you've done all this right, book a MSVA test at a DVLA testing centre (there are quite a few scattered around the UK), take the buggy there on a trailer. Hopefully you'll pass!
- You are then issued with a VIN, which you can use to get a reg plate, tax, insurance and then on the road!

So that's the roadmap sorted.... now to plan the work......

The first post

Ok, so here's a quick intro of what this blog is about:-

Me and a friend are working on getting a number of golf buggies road legal in the UK. This is really common in the US and there's a thriving industry related to aftermarket kits/parts etc. for doing this, but there's really only a handful of people in the UK who have really tried this. It's quite a tricky thing to get a buggy road legal in the UK, and there are all sorts of convoluted rules and regulations that apply. This covers most of the major brands (Ezgo, Yamaha, Club Car) as well as some older ones (Ingersol, Melex, Harley Davidson).

My intention here is to share what I've learnt with this process with anyone out there interested in doing the same thing, so you won't have to go through researching this from scratch. If you are one of those rare people out there who has done this, then please get in touch/comment/ and share your experiences if you can.

I'm going to make this into an "Open Source" project, and will try to share as much info as I can about parts suppliers, other people who've done the work, and links to various rules and regs that apply. Again, if you have any hints and tips, please let me know in the comments below a post.