The three years currently needed before new cars require the annual safety check could be extended to four under new plans proposed by the government.
The three year law was introduced in 1967 (Did you know it was actually brought down from 10 years!?) but the government says that improvements in technology and manufacturing keep new vehicles fit to be on the road for a longer period of time.
The figures seem to back this up. They show that the amount of accidents involving vehicles which were three or four years old with a defect which contributed dropped from 155 to 57 between 2006 and 2015.
The number of MOT tests which are undertaken for the first time each year stands at 2.2 million. If this change gets the go ahead, the government suggests that the proposals will save motorists close to £100 million each year.
Transport Minister, Andrew Jones, says "We have some of the safest roads in the world and MOT tests play an important role in ensuring the standard of vehicles on our roads. New vehicles are much safer than they were 50 years ago and so it is only right we bring the MOT test up to date to help save motorists money where we can."
The change will also align England, Wales and Scotland with Northern Ireland and some other countries within the EU who already have a four year exemption period for new cars.
So how is this change likely to go down with motorists? An AA poll asked 19,000+ drivers if they supported the idea. 44% liked the idea, 26% were against it and the rest didn’t mind.
Edmund King, the president of the AA, says that: "The benefits are that there will be cost and time savings for drivers, whilst the downside is that we are likely to see some more cars with faulty tyres and lights slipping through the net."
Although increasing the time period before cars are checked may bring risks with it, it’s important to remember that, whether or not your vehicle needs to pass an MOT, it’s still required by law to be roadworthy.
Interestingly, this comes after the VED road tax changes which come into force later this year (if you would like to know more, check out the article we wrote here).
With the change likely to come into force in 2018 if approved (subject to public consultation), do you think it’s a wise move?
Finally, don’t forget, if you do need a part for your MOT (or just in general) we have you covered!
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