Classic cars allowed back on the roads, say RTA

Vehicles more than 30 years old will be classed as vintage and licensed to hit Dubai roads, transport officials said yesterday.

Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) said the motors will be categorised as classic and specially designed licence plates will be issued either through auction or direct purchase. The registration plates will make them stand out.

The RTA also signed a cooperation agreement with the Automobile and Touring Club of UAE (ATC) to facilitate the process of registering classic cars.

Owners of these vehicles have kept them in their garages for a long time and have requested for an opportunity to drive their much treasured vehicles. This initiative will give them this opportunity, said ATC president, Mohammed bin Sulayem.

ATC, which is UAE’s official representative for the International Federation of Classic vehicles, will conduct technical inspections of the vehicles to ensure they meet the requirements to be categorised as classic, and if they pass the test, they will be forwarded to the RTA for registration.

To get a licence, the vehicle must be 30 years old or older without any modifications from its original form.

The vehicles will also be classified in categories ranging from A to F, depending on the results from a technical inspection. For example vehicles manufactured between 1950 and 1980 will be categorised as ‘A’ because they are fairly modern and will be allowed on all roads for up to 10,000km a year.

Vehicles manufactured before 1950 will be classified as ‘B’ and allowed on all roads but only for a distance of 5,000km a year.

Ahmed Hashem Bahrozyan, CEO of the Licensing Agency at the RTA, said: There are over 3,000 classic vehicles according to RTA records being driven as ordinary vehicles after undergoing some modifications.

There must be many more classic vehicles out there and this is an opportunity for the owners to register them.