ADR 109/00 exemption for ICE powered vehicles

Australian Design Rule (ADR) 109/00 – Electric Power Train Requirements comes into force on 1 November 2025.

This new rule applies to vehicles fitted with electric power trains, including electric and hybrid vehicles.

The Federal Department is providing a streamlined approvals process for vehicles that do not have this feature.

If your approval only covers variants that are solely powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE), then you don’t need to vary it before ADR 109/00 comes into effect. However, there are some small steps you must take.

What you need to do

In order to access this pathway, you must:

  1. Email [email protected]
  2. Include a list of vehicle type approval numbers that:
    • Do not cover any variants fitted with an electric power train
    • Do not include a rechargeable electrical energy storage system

It is strongly recommended that you submit this information as soon as possible. This will allow the ROVER assessment team to verify your approvals and ensure they are not incorrectly flagged as non-compliant after 1 November 2025, when non-compliant approvals will be automatically suspended.

If no email notification is provided, your approval will be subject to the usual Road Vehicle Standards (RVS) processes, whereby there is an automatic suspension of any approval that has not had a variation made via ROVER to provide the compliance status in respect of the new ADR.

If you later apply to vary an approval, ROVER will prompt you to confirm compliance with ADR 109/00. For approvals only covering ICE variants, you should select the ‘ADR Exemption’ option.

Important

You must apply to vary approvals that cover both electric and ICE variants to provide compliance information for ADR 109/00. Do not include them in your list of exempt approvals.

For further assistance, visit the Federal Department’s dedicated RVSA Contact Us page.