LEGISLATION
Government drops plan to reduce test intervals for thousands of modern classics after major backlash
An overwhelmingly negative backlash against its proposal to increase the time between MoT tests from one to two years has persuaded the UK government to drop the plans with immediate effect.
The government opened a consultation into reforming the MoT last year and 84 per cent of nearly 4500 respondents were opposed to changing the date of the first test. In addition a high volume of concerns were raised in relation to road safety, in particular regarding tyre and brake wear – the most common reasons for first-time MoT test failures.
A government spokesperson said: ‘We agree with a number of respondents who identified that any savings made by motorists would at best be extremely marginal and limited by additional costs from defects not identified at MoT deteriorating and thereby requiring more expensive repairs. The current maximum cost of an MoT is £54.85 and it was noted that this amounts to little more than one per cent of the annual motoring costs for the average household.’
‘Historic’ vehicles more than 40 years old have been exempted from MoT inspections since 2018 as long as they haven’t been substantially modified, but the proposals would have meant thousands of Eighties, Nineties and Noughties classics being inspected less frequently.
Car SOS star and classic restorer Fuzz Townshend told CCW: ‘I think it’s a very good idea to drop this proposal. A lot can happen to a car in a year and stretching it to two could prove to be detrimental, especially on the deteriorating roads in the UK.
‘It will save a lot of jobs in the motor industry, too, with the likelihood being that some garages might cut numbers
