The Department for Transport has launched a public consultation on the future of MOTs in the United Kingdom today (18 January 2023).
MOT testing for cars, motorcycles, and vans is being updated to ensure that roadworthiness checks continue to balance costs on motorists while ensuring road safety, keeping up with advances in vehicle technology, and addressing vehicle emissions.
To ensure that MOTs are fit for the future, a consultation launched today seeks feedback on proposals to change the date of the first MOT for new light vehicles from 3 to 4 years. The average MOT costs £40, and the change could save motorists in the United Kingdom around £100 million in MOT fees each year.
Since the MOT was introduced in 1960, and particularly in recent years, there have been significant advances in vehicle technology, such as lane-assisted driving, which have increased road safety, while the proliferation of electric and hybrid vehicles is rapidly changing the nature of vehicles on our roads.
Any changes to the MOT will be accompanied by an information campaign led by the Department of Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to inform drivers of MOT updates and to remind them of their responsibility to keep vehicles roadworthy.
The proposals are centred on ensuring that the UK maintains its world-class record in road safety. According to data, the majority of new vehicles pass their first MOT test at three years. With the number of fatalities in car accidents due to vehicle defects remaining low, government analysis indicates that the change from three to four years for the first MOT should have no effect on road safety.
Roadworthiness testing four years after registration is already common practise in many European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
The consultation also seeks feedback on the frequency of MOTs and how to improve emissions monitoring to combat pollution and improve vehicle environmental efficiency.
Potential new measures include testing for pollutants such as particulate number (PN) and NOx to ensure diesel, gasoline, and hybrid vehicles always meet emissions standards throughout their lifetime.
Among the proposals are whether electric vehicle batteries should be tested to improve EV safety and reliability, whether additional measures to combat excessively loud engines should be implemented, and how the DVSA can continue to crack down on MOT and mileage fraud.
