I imported Tesla Cybertruck to the UK for first time – but I ran into a major hurdle & STILL can’t take it on road
A MAN who imported a Cybertruck to the UK is now facing a host of issues to get the EV registered.
YouTube star Yianni Charalambous, known for his channel Yiannimize, will be forced to jump through hurdles to get his new motor road legal.
In a recent video, Yianni set himself the goal of getting the EV beast road ready before Christmas.
The Tesla Cybertruck, which is currently unavailable in Europe, is cited as being an issue for European roads due to safety and regulatory issues.
Since its release in 2023, many fans have called for Tesla to release an ‘international version’ that changes some of its illegal features.
The first problem Yianni encountered with his example was getting it a British license plate, as it was brought to the UK with one from Albania.
What’s more, the car’s standard design for its indicator lights is an issue, as the Cybertruck’s indicators flash up red.
In the UK, the legal requirement is for them to be amber – to help other road users distinguish them from the standard red brake light.
Regulations also require indicators to be on the side mirrors.
With it being the UK, fog lights were also needed which would only turn on with the headlights.
Yianni, who’s a well-known supercar customiser who revealed to Sun Motors last year how he got his big break, has already run into other problems relating to the car’s unique shape, in particular the truck’s notably sharp edges.
For the sake of pedestrian safety, these would need to be covered with rubber.
This long list of changes and tweaks was needed for the vehicle to pass its Individual Vehicle Approval test.
If the car failed to pass the first time, it would take another 14 days before Yianni and his team could try again.
When Yianni asked the mechanic tasked with making the modifications to the car, he said: “I have a history of importing cars and working with this kind of thing.
“There are two types of approvals you can get.
“There’s the type approval which the manufacturer has to do, and it’s a lot more stringent.
“IVA is not as stringent, you see. Everything is somewhat easier.
“So I reckon, if we can get all the lights working, they’ll register it.”
However, the mechanic does give an estimated deadline of one to two weeks, which makes the finish date somewhat too close for comfort to the Christmas day deadline.
This comes just weeks after the first Cybertruck went up for sale in the UK.
An imported 2024 version of the futuristic vehicle was recently listed on Autotrader for £145,995 – making it the first version to be offered to UK buyers.