If you are considering adding a Binz vehicle to your fleet, we have put together a guide to the main areas of UK law which apply to limousines used both for private hire and corporate use. We stress this is only an outline rather than a definitive list: for more detailed information, please contact your local hackney carriage licencing office or the Department for Transport.

• The Normal B1 driving licence issued to new drivers allows the holder to drive a vehicle with no more than eight passenger seats.
• A driver with a D1 driving licence may drive a minibus (not for hire or reward) but still cannot drive a limousine with more than 8 passenger seats since it will not be legal without its Certificate of Initial Fitness (COIF).
• A vehicle, once registered retains its original definition irrespective of any alterations made to the seating configuration. So adding or removing seats does not affect the registration details of the vehicle. A 12 seat minibus with four seats removed, does not become an eight seat vehicle (you might get away with it in the UK, but don’t get stopped by the Police in France).
• Any limousine carrying more than 8 passengers must have a COIF and be registered as a Passenger Carrying Vehicle.
• A limousine (that is not a minibus) carrying more than eight passengers is
  operating illegally in the UK, unless it has a valid COIF. To our
  knowledge, only one or two of the car or SUV-based limousines marketed in
  this country have so far attained that certification.
• Tyre load ratings on limousines are not the same as those on their source vehicle. Operating with incorrect load ratings on tyres is a breach of Construction and Use regulations.
• If your vehicle is to be licensed for Private Hire you need to present your V5 to the test centre – its details must match those of the vehicle being tested. If the vehicle has not been registered it must be presented with the original manufacturer’s documentation.

• If your vehicle has been modified by extending the chassis - with the exception of a Binz limousine - the conversion will usually invalidate the original manufacturer’s warranty.
• Increasing the gross vehicle weight (GVW) and wheelbase will change braking and handling characteristics. From the standpoint of corporate liability, you should ask for documentary proof that all suspension, braking and on-board vehicle safety systems have been appropriately re-tuned and re-calibrated.
• If your vehicle is a stretched conversion it should have a new chassis number as virtually no manufacturer will now regard this as running on the original chassis.
• If your documentation does not match the vehicle then your drivers may be in breach of the law.

• .... is legally designated an eight seat limousine from the date its first body panels leave the press shop.
• .... does not require COIF as it is a European Whole Vehicle Type Approved vehicle with not more than 8 passenger seats.
• .... rides on the correct heavy-duty tyre and wheel combination for its unladen weight and wheelbase to maintain dynamic safety and component loading margins, as mandated by Mercedes-Benz design engineers.
• .... can always be presented with fully compliant documentation.