The government has put forward plans to change the date at which the first MOT for new ‘light vehicles’ is required from three to four years.
In its public consultation, the Department for Transport says the change would “save motorists across Great Britain around £100 million a year” in MOT fees.
Currently once a ‘motor caravan’ reaches the third anniversary of its registration, it requires an MOT on an annual basis.
Data shows that most new vehicles pass the first MOT test at three years.
With the number of casualties in car collisions due to vehicle defects remaining low, government analysis shows the change from three to four years for the first MOT should not impact road safety.
Undertaking roadworthiness testing 4 years since the vehicle’s registration is already standard practice across many European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
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The consultation also seeks views on the frequency of MOTs and how to improve monitoring of emissions to tackle pollution to bolster the environmental efficiency of vehicles.
Potential new measures include introducing testing of pollutants such as particulate number (PN) and NOx to ensure diesel, petrol and hybrid cars always meet emissions requirements throughout their lifespan.
Among the proposals, the consultation will consider whether electric vehicles’ batteries should be tested to improve the safety and reliability of EVs, if additional measures should be introduced to tackle excessively loud engines, and how the DVSA can continue to crack down against MOT and mileage fraud.
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