Four year MOT Exemption proposed

The time new vehicles are allowed on the UK’s roads before needing an MOT could potentially rise from three to four years, under new government proposals.

The period before anMOT is needed could change in 2018 after a public consultation has taken place.

Northern Ireland and many European nations already have an exemption in place

The Department for Transport stated that safer technology and improved manufacturing means now that new vehicles stay roadworthy for a longer period of time.

It shows figures stating the annual number of three and four-year-old cars involved in car accidents where a vehicle defect was said to be a contributory factor has fallen from 155 in 2006 to 57 in 2015.

MOTs were first introduced in 1960 for cars more than 10 years old, with the exemption period dropping to three years in 1967.

Vehicles must currently undergo the test on the third anniversary of their registration and every 12 months once more than three-years-old.

Cars and motorcycles made before 1960, goods vehicles powered by electricity and tractors do not, however, need an MOT.

A number of parts are checked during the test to ensure vehicles meet  UK legal standards, including lights, seatbelts, tyres and brakes, and emission levels are also tested.

More than 2.2 million cars each year require a first test, at a maximum cost of £54.85, where motorists could face a fine of up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.

But it is also a legal requirement that vehicles are roadworthy, regardless of whether they have passed which will also be the case. In times where the cost of motoring is only going up with rising fuel prices and car insurance prices rising on an annual basis, this is good news for UK motorists.