The UK Now Has Its Own Illegal Rubberized Cybertruck on the Road

“The Cybertruck’s weight, rigid structure and sharp design raise legitimate concerns,” she told Wired. “Any vulnerability that allows these vehicles to enter [UK] Streets need to be closed quickly.

Margaret Winchcomb, deputy executive director of expert body PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transport Safety), agreed: “If opening the rear doors and allowing vehicles to drive increases the risk of harm to Britain’s streets and roads, then Will be very disappointing.

“Allowing vehicles where the safety of others appears to be disregarded would be a big step backwards,” she added.

Although Tesla has made bold safety claims about the Cybertruck and released footage of its own crash test dummy, no independent agency has crash tested the vehicle. U.S. regulators rely on automakers to conduct self-inspections and demonstrate compliance with safety regulations.

Federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and insurance industry support Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Crash tests are only conducted on some vehicles. It is too expensive for these organizations to test all vehicles, so selections are made based on sales volume.

“although [the Cybertruck] “We’re unlikely to devote resources to testing it unless its sales are comparable to other popular large pickup trucks,” said IIHS media director Joe Young.

“Without testing the Cybertruck, I can’t comment on the effectiveness of its buffers,” he stressed. “Right now, our concerns about its design are limited to the issues we’ve had with other electric vehicles. It’s very heavy and it’s very fast.

Due to the Cybertruck’s “unusual design,” the UK Department for Transport (DfT) told Wired that it “does not want to predict” whether the pickup truck will receive an IVA pass administered by the DfT.

“The IVA program is designed to [small- and medium-sized businesses] involved in professional vehicle modification or importation,” continued a statement to Wired, “and was created long before the Cybertruck was conceived.

Extrapolating from the DfT’s carefully calibrated comments, Charalambous may have been wasting time and money trying to pass the IVA test. A DfT statement warned: “The vehicle uses advanced technology and its design may not comply with applicable rules in the UK.”

In his film, Charalambous drives his Albanian-branded Cybertruck through southeast England. If Charalambos was caught doing this by a knowledgeable police officer, he could be fined. A statement from the British Department for Transport confirmed that “British residents cannot drive vehicles with foreign license plates in the UK” and stated that “British residents are not allowed to drive imported cars with foreign license plates unless traveling to and from [an annual safety check and a] Book an IVA in advance [appointment]”.

In his third video, Charalambous said he was driving his Cybertruck legally in the UK because the Albanian seller provided him with a green card, an international certificate of insurance issued by Albania. Again, the DfT stresses that this is a no-no: “Driving an unregistered vehicle will invalidate any insurance.”

Only time and significant funding will determine whether Charalambous can successfully legalize its UK-based Cybertruck, but it’s unlikely.