2023/2024 MOT Test consultation results announced

What was the MOT consultation?

In January 2023, the DVSA sought to modernise and improve the MOT Test, while saving car owners money.

The main proposal extended the first time a new car is required to be inspected, from the current three years to four or, possibly, five.

It also proposed MOT Tests thereafter being performed once every two years, instead of annually. A rationale behind this was that modern cars are more hardwearing than their less technically dense predecessors.

The DVSA seems to flirt with altering test frequency from time to time, especially as some countries within the EU conduct their roadworthiness testing in this way. The last time it was mooted, GEM reasoned that it would neither save money, nor would it improve road safety.

What is the MOT consultation conclusion?

It seems as though the results of the consultation agreed with us. For starters, it was raised that the alleged £100 million total savings in MOT Test fees would be dwarfed by extra costs of repairing defects that may have been less costly had they been spotted earlier.

Of more relevance to GEM's safety remit, significant concerns were raised by respondents about the safety implications of reducing MOT Test frequency.

While the report included data, showing that between 3.6 and 5.5% of cars fail their first-ever MOT Test, three-year-old electric vehicles (EVs) have the highest proportion of failures. This surprising finding shoots down the preconceived notion that newer and more advanced cars need less attention. The report conceded that,

"Given the well-established link between vehicle mass and the rate of wear of components, such as tyres, and the initial MOT test failure data for EVs, many respondents felt it would be in the interests of EV drivers and other road users to maintain the first MOT Test at 3 years."

For all vehicles, the report accepted that tyres and brakes can wear below their safe limits without the vehicle owner knowing, if a sufficiently early inspection is not carried out. Although the driver has a legal obligation to maintain a vehicle in a roadworthy condition, the report highlights the data, showing notable test failure rates for three-year-old vehicles.

These were the main reasons why the DVSA has decided not to change the MOT Test frequency, a decision that has been welcomed by the aftermarket motor trade and road safety groups.

How else is the MOT Test changing?

Naturally, the inspection is evolving all of the time. For the motor trade, efforts continue to crack down on fraud, especially by introducing equipment in each garage that logs on to the DVSA's servers, every time an MOT Test is conducted.

The report also acknowledged the positivity shown towards more effective and accurate diesel car emissions measurements, particulate matter especially. It appears that the focus is to identify vehicles that have had their exhaust-mounted particulate filters removed illegally, which is entirely reasonable. Yet, respondents were less supportive of forcing existing diesels to meet stricter emissions tests than those when they were new, especially as hybrid cars are exempt from exhaust

emissions testing altogether. This latter point is another issue that the DVSA is investigating further.

Even so, the announcement that MOT frequency will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future is a victory for road safety and, above all, common sense.

The full report can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-date-of-the-first-mot-test-and-research-into-other-mot-enhancement

Keep up to date with GEM Motoring Assist at:

Twitter: @motoringassist

Facebook: @gemmotoringassist

Instagram: @gem_motoringassist

LinkedIn: @gem-motoring-assist-limited

Share this on socials below: