The government has put forward a proposed shake-up to the MOT that’s causing big waves in the industry – moving a car’s first MOT to four years, instead of three, and subsequent MOTs conducted every two years, not annually.

While you’re focused on passing your test right now, this actually has potentially important consequences for you, your safety and your wallet once you do get on the road. Why?

The first thing you’re likely to do once you’ve qualified is to buy a car. And because they’re so expensive, you’ll likely plump for a used car, not a new one.

The MOT explained

Here’s where the MOT comes in. Currently, once your car is three years old, you need to take your car to have its MOT done, and then once a year after that. Costing a maximum of £54.85, this process ensures your car is roadworthy by conducting checks on several different parts.

These include your seatbelts, mirrors and lights right through to your braking and fuel systems (even your car’s emissions if it is powered by combustion engine alone, i.e., EVs and hybrid vehicles are exempt).

Keeping up standards

The point of these checks? To ensure your car meets current road safety and environmental standards. There are four ratings for any part of the car that doesn’t meet the required standards – ‘dangerous’, ‘major’, ‘minor’ and ‘advisory’.

If your car receives one of the first two, it will fail its MOT on the spot and you will need to get the highlighted issue fixed before you can drive it on the road. If you get a ‘minor’ defect, then your car will be passed but it is ‘advised’ you get the issue repaired as soon as possible.

The final ‘advisory’ category will highlight an issue that may become more serious if left unchecked so you should monitor it and repair when possible – however, your car will still be passed.

Big changes

The government though is now consulting on whether to change the MOT with two key proposals:

First MOT after four years

The government is proposing you take your car in for its first MOT when it is four years old, not three. The reason? The government argues that most cars pass their MOT after three years so the change should not impact on road safety.

The government also says the change will bring the UK in line with other European countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, which only test cars for the first time after four years.

MOTs every two years

The government is proposing that MOTs are then carried out every two years after that, instead of annually.

It argues that modern vehicle tech is now so advanced that there is no longer a need for an MOT every year. The government also states that this will save motorists £100 million a year.

Big opposition

While saving money may sound great, several organisations believe the proposed changes could be dangerous.

The AA’s boss Edmund King says that, “if you move the MOT from every year to two years, [it] means you would have an increase of death traps on wheels on the road because there would be no independent check on those cars.”

Others are open to the idea but with caveats. For instance, the RAC’s Nicholas Lyes believes the change from three to four years for your car’s first MOT works could work. However, he says that there should be a requirement for high mileage cars to be tested sooner.

What do you think? The government’s consultation for changing the MOT closes on 28 February so let them know your opinion here.

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Photos by Artem Podrez