The UK Government is considering a change to the MOT test that would see it moved from annually to every two years. The proposal has been made in order to save motorists money. If the change is brought in, it would mean that around 10 million fewer MOT tests would be carried out each year. Would you prefer to have your MOT done every two years rather than every year?
This is one of the relaxations of health and safety legislation proposed by the government to help ease the cost of living crisis. The average MOT costs £54.85, so the government argues that this change would save motorists around £100 million a year. This means that motorists who don't have a high annual mileage aren't paying more than they need to. These changes don't prevent those drivers who do more miles, or need to ensure their vehicle is reliable, getting a more frequent service.
The main opponents to the plan are safety campaigners, who argue that it could lead to an increase in the number of dangerous vehicles on the roads. Under the current system, vehicles are checked annually to make sure they meet safety standards. If the MOT is only carried out every two years, it is possible that problems could go undetected for longer, leading to a potential increase in accidents.
They also believe that it would place a greater burden on drivers to ensure their vehicles are safe to drive, as they would only have to get them checked every two years. Drivers often have their vehicle serviced at the same time as they get an MOT, so without the need to go to a garage this may also happen less frequently. This less frequent maintenance could mean a higher repair bill if something does go wrong as a more regular check may have picked up a problem earlier.
At the moment, all cars over three years old must have an MOT every year. But if the proposals go ahead, this would change to every two years for most vehicles. There would still be an annual check for larger commercial vehicles and those with 'defects that could affect road safety or the environment'.