UK Government scraps ‘madcap’ plan to tinker with MOT testing frequency

The UK Government has decided to retain the current MOT testing regime for vehicles, following the conclusion of a consultation process.

The decision means that the first MOT test for new cars, motorbikes, and vans will remain at three years from registration, with subsequent tests continuing to be annual.

The government had proposed that testing would be compulsory every two years.

The consultation, launched in January 2023, gathered over 4,400 responses and sought to balance factors such as cost to motorists, road safety, advances in vehicle technology, and tackling vehicle emissions.

As part of the government’s commitment to modernising the MOT process, there will be an investigation into better monitoring diesel vehicle emissions and exploring advancements in testing for electric and automated vehicles.

Industry figures and organisations have welcomed this decision.

Roads Minister Guy Opperman emphasised that keeping the MOTs in their current form demonstrates the government’s support for motorists.

The Department for Transport (DfT) will continue to monitor technological developments that could impact MOTs, including advanced driver assistance systems.

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s great news the madcap idea of changing the MOT from every year to every two has finally been consigned to the bin.”

“This would have seriously compromised road safety and ended up costing drivers more money rather than less as it was supposed to do, due to dangerous issues going undetected and getting progressively worse.”

“This is why the idea was so widely unpopular with the motoring public in our research.”

“We look forward to hearing more from the Government on how the MOT will evolve in the future, both to accommodate the rising number of electric cars on our roads and improve the monitoring of dangerous emissions from combustion engines.”

“We would also like to see the test change to help reduce the prospect of glare from headlights, as this is something the DVSA has previously said garages can find difficult to assess.”

Jakob Pfaudler, AA CEO, said: “AA polling showed drivers overwhelmingly (83%) supported the annual MOT for keeping their cars and other cars safe.”

“With 1 in 10 cars failing their first MOT, we fully support the government’s pragmatic decision to maintain the first MOT at 3 years and annually thereafter.”

Rebecca Guy, Road Safety Manager at The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), expressed support for the government’s decision.

RoSPA had raised concerns during the consultation that extending the MOT interval could lead to more non-roadworthy vehicles on the roads.