Tough New MOT Tests Set To Cause Chaos For Drivers
The entire system is being overhauled
From 20 May 2018, a tough new MOT testing system will take force in Britain. There are widespread fears that the new tests could leave drivers with extremely large bills at their next MOT, with diesel drivers especially vulnerable. Chaos at MOT centres is also a real possibility as the new emissions testing equipment may not be ready on time.
The current 'pass or fail' style of MOT testing is being overhauled completely and replaced with a new system in which faults are classified as 'minor', 'major' or 'dangerous' - a single major or dangerous fault means an automatic failure.
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Additionally, diesel vehicles will be subject to new checks to ensure they meet 'plate standards', for which failure could cause repair bills of thousands of pounds, sometimes more than the vehicle is worth. The most at-risk vehicles are diesel cars from around 2006 onwards which came with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).
Some garages reportedly remove the DPFs because they are expensive to replace when they fail, despite the environmental damage caused by the emissions not being cleaned up by the filter. MOT testers will now fail any car in which the filter has been removed or tampered with.
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They are also under orders to fail those same cars if they produce any 'visible smoke of any colour', which is likely to result in a great many unexpected failures. The cost of replacing or repairing a DPF will often be greater than the worth of the car, so many affected vehicles will likely be scrapped.
Weirdly, older cars produced before 2005/6 when DPFs were first introduced, which are often more polluting, will see no change and will be emissions-tested in the same way as they are currently.
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The tests are being introduced across the EU to comply with a new roadworthiness directive. Bumper damage, tyre pressures, reversing lights and headlight washers will all be more rigorously tested under the new system than they are currently.
The new tests form part of a wider initiative to improve overall roadworthiness. For instance, if a car fails its MOT for something categorised as 'dangerous', the owner risks a £2,500 fine and six penalty points if they drive away from the testing station - even if the car's MOT still has a few days to run.
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This essentially means that 'dangerous' failures will have to be rectified by the garage at which the test was conducted (or towed to another garage, with the extra expense that entails). All this means that mis-selling is likely to increase significantly thanks to the new measures.
Elsewhere in the new tests, all vehicles will be checked for fluid leaks, which can pose an environmental risk. A steering box leaking oil would be classed as a 'minor' fault, but if it is dripping, that immediately becomes 'major' and the whole MOT is failed.
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Vehicles registered on or after 1 September 2009 will have to have working reversing lights and headlight washers, if installed. While the former is entirely sensible, the latter could see many drivers failing their tests unexpectedly.
New checks will also be made on tyre pressure, prop shafts, rear-drive shafts and the security and condition of bumpers.
Image Credit: WhatCar.com
More information on the new tests is available at WhatCar.com.
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Comments (21)
How is this going to affect classic cars? The only time my Mini isn't leaking oil is when there's none in it!
Tears are flowing down my cheeks.
You will get a system nearly as strict as we got in Germany since more than 50 years.
So, if we could manage to maintain our cars you could do it for sure.
So they’re basically just deterring us from buying diesels. But to be fair if there were to be something ‘dangerous’ that allows the car to fail the MOT then surely it’s something that should have been fixed in the first place...?
It’s a shame though, on money terms I imagine some people are going to struggle a lot more...
went for MOT with longlist of advisories - previous owner, however test centre ignored them and failed MOT for something more expensive to fix... Soon as I've paid £350 car was roadworthy without repairing previously advised parts...Sold this car month later.
This is all one huge scam to subsidize approved testing shops. Working headlight washers if you have them? That's bullshit! Don't scrap your car though, send it to America instead ;)