Under the current legislation, any car built or registered before 1960 is not required to have an annual roadworthiness test or MOT as it is known.

In a move that has caused concern in circles and made others smile, the law has been changed and now any car that reaches the ripe old age of 40 does not now need a MOT test.

We can’t help but ask the question – With the current maximum test price of just £54.85 who is this really helping? after all, any car that reaches the age of 40 will be a classic and will be owned by an enthusiast, and this is where the problem lays. How many enthusiasts are qualified to determine if their pride and joy are safe to be on the road?   Who will be at fault if there is an accident?

The news has been taken up by all quarters of the press, we found this article by This is Money:

Half a million cars will NOT need an MOT next year under new rules that will see 40 year-old vehicles exempt for the roadworthiness test

Cars older than 40 years will not need to be MOT tested from May 2018, DfT saysCars older than 40 years will not need to be MOT tested from May 2018, DfT saysCurrently, only cars built before 1960 are exempt from the roadworthiness checkMany fear that older vehicles being used on public roads won’t be safeAround 197k cars are exempt of the MOT test today – there will be an additional 293k from next year
An additional 300,000 cars driven on British roads will no longer need an MOT test from next year under new rules that will see any model older than 40 years exempt from the annual roadworthiness check-up.
Currently, only vehicles built or first registered before 1960 are exempt from the MOT test – accounting for almost 200,000 cars in use today.
The Department for Transport confirmed on Friday that it will loosen the restriction from next year with a rolling scheme that will mean any car more than four decades old won’t need an MOT certificate.
MOT update: From May 2018, the government will introduce a rolling MOT-test exemption for cars 40 years and older +5MOT update: From May 2018, the government will introduce a rolling MOT-test exemption for cars 40 years and older
The new rule means owners of cars built over 40 years ago will not have to book their car in at a garage for the test – which costs up to £54.85 – from May 2018, the government announced.
The DfT estimates that it will mean an additional 293,000 UK cars and motorcycles will no longer need to have the mechanical examination every year under the rule change.

 

When this change takes places next year it will mean approximately 1.5 per cent of the total 31.7million cars currently being used on British roads will be MOT-exempt.
With almost half a million cars now qualifying to be legally driven without an MOT certificate, fears will grow that many older vehicles on the road may be dangerous.
This was the verdict of those questioned as part of the Government consultation on the changes held earlier this year. 
Ahead of the decision, more than 2,000 members of the public took part in the dialogue to abolish the test for cars older than 40 years.
Some 56% of drivers consulted about the changes to allow more cars to be exempt for MOT test were against the plans +5Some 56% of drivers consulted about the changes to allow more cars to be exempt for MOT test were against the plans
Of those quizzed, 56 per cent opposed the plans, with many voicing concerns that vehicles travelling on public roads should have an annual check-up for safety reasons.
In contrast, 899 respondents supported the changes to the rules.
In response to concerns around safety the DfT said cars more than 40 years old are often kept in good condition by owners, and not used regularly enough to warrant an MOT……… You can read the full story here

The fear for many that another 290,000 cars added to the current 160,000 allowed to drive around the UK with little or no safety check is very real, with the average mot fail rate of somewhere around 41% of newer cars would mean around 120,000 more unsafe cars on the road.

DVSA don’t see it that way, their feeling is that these cars do less mileage and are better looked after than the average road car. We can only wait and see.

Autocar also covered the story, their man at the scene so to speak was Jimi Beckwith you can read his view here and see more of what he has to say if you follow him on Twitter 

The Department for Transport has announced that classic cars more than 40 years old will be exempt from MOT testing, with owners voluntarily electing for an MOT if they feel their car needs one.

Currently, only cars from before 1960 are exempt, which represents 197,000 cars on UK roads. The new rules will exempt a further 293,000 cars from MOTs.

The thinking behind the decision, according to the DfT, is that these cars are “usually maintained in good condition and used on few occasions”. The decision also eases concerns that garages may not be adequately testing cars over this age, as the modern MOT applies less to cars of this age.

The new date would also bring the age of cars exempt from MOTs in line with the exemption of road tax. The Government dismissed concerns that these cars pose a greater risk of failure than modern ones; cars registered in the interim period between the old exemption and the upcoming exemption have a substantially lower rate of failure than the national average….. the rest of the article can be seen here

Only time will tell if this was a wise decision or not.

If you are not the driver of an exempt car and need a MOT – visit http://www.hartleygarage.co.uk/vehicle-mot-testing/