Safety standards for vehicles

All vehicles made for sale in Canada and all vehicles imported into Canada must meet the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Manufacturers and importers must follow the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations - Schedule III and related safety standards, technical standards documents and test methods.

The Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations also apply to companies that modify or add equipment to make specialty vehicles. Examples: fire trucks, ambulances, motorhomes, school buses and limousines.

Find out more on this page about safety requirements affecting all vehicles regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, including specific vehicle classes such as low-speed vehicles, trailers and multi-purpose passenger vehicles.

On this page

National Safety Mark requirements

The National Safety Mark shows that a vehicle or a child car seat meets the necessary standards. The centre of the logo has a unique number for the manufacturer or importer (YYY in the example below):

 

Canadian manufacturers who have proven that their vehicle production meets the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are granted a National Safety Mark that they must attach to their vehicles.

Regulatory information for vehicles

These links provide information on regulatory requirements for vehicles and how compliance is enforced.

Safety requirements for specific types of vehicles

    Trucks, buses, trailers and multi-purpose passenger vehicles

    See the links below for requirements for lighting, airbrakes and retroflective equipment.

    Low-speed vehicles

    Low-speed vehicles (LSVs) are a class of small, lightweight electric vehicles that drive at a maximum speed of 32-40 km/h and have four wheels.  For more information on requirements for LSVs, see the Low-speed vehicle information sheet.

    Memorandums of Understanding for vehicles

    These Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) affect some areas of manufacturing and marketing safe vehicles.

    Contact us for information on vehicle safety standards

    Transport Canada
    Motor Vehicle Safety

    Email: mvs-sa@tc.gc.ca
    Telephone: 1-800-333-0371 (toll-free), 1-613-998-8616 (Ottawa region)

    Related links