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MOT test
The MOT test (or simply MOT) is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom for most vehicles over three years old. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after four years. The requirement does not apply to vehicles used only on various small islands with no convenient connection "to a road in any part of Great Britain"; no similar exemption is listed at the beginning of 2014 for Northern Ireland, which has a single inhabited island, Rathlin. The MOT test was first introduced in 1960 as a few basic tests of a vehicle and now covers twenty different parts or systems on or in the vehicle.[citation needed]
The name derives from the Ministry of Transport, a defunct government department, which was one of several ancestors of the current Department for Transport, but is still officially used. MOT test certificates are currently issued in Great Britain under the auspices of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), an executive agency of the Department for Transport. Certificates in Northern Ireland are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). The test and the pass certificate are often referred to simply as the "MOT".
More than 23,500 local car repair garages throughout England, Scotland and Wales, employing more than 65,800 testers, are authorised to perform testing and issue certificates. In principle, any individual in Great Britain can apply to run an MOT station, although in order to gain an authorisation from DVSA, both the individual wanting to run the station, as well as the premises, need to meet minimal criteria set out on the government's website, within the so-called VT01 form.
In Northern Ireland, tests are performed exclusively at the DVA's own test centres.
The MOT test was first introduced on a voluntary basis on 12 September 1960 under the direction of the-then Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples, under powers in the Road Traffic Act 1956. The test was originally a basic test including brakes, lights and steering check which was to be carried out after the vehicle was ten years old and every year thereafter. This became known as the "ten year test", or alternatively the "Ministry of Transport Test". A test fee has always been charged. The amount involved for a car when testing was first introduced in 1960 was fourteen shillings, (168 old pennies, or 70 decimal pence), plus one shilling, (twelve old pennies or five new pence), for the certificate. The voluntary period ended on 15 February 1961. The high test failure rate resulted in the age that vehicles became due for testing being reduced to seven years on 31 December, 1961. In 1962, the first commercial vehicle exam was created, and a valid certificate was required in order to receive a tax disc. In April 1967, the testable age for an MOT was reduced to three years. On 1 January 1983, the testable age for ambulances, taxis and vehicles with more than eight passenger seats (excluding the driver's) was reduced to one year.
The list of items tested has been continually expanded over the years, including:
In recent years there have been attempts to change the frequency of the MOT in the UK, including moving to a test every two years, or changing the age that vehicles become due for testing to four years, instead of three. However, these changes have been dismissed following government consultations, on the grounds of safety. Most recently, it was suggested by former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, that the MOT again move to a biennial check, to help motorists save money as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. This plan has yet to be officially taken to consultation by the government, but has provoked response from safety organisations.
In order to allow vehicles to travel from one country to another, some international regulations require tests to be performed on vehicles. This is, for instance, required by the 1997 UNECE Agreement and by Directive 2014/45/EC on periodic road-worthiness tests, Directive 2014/47/EC on technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles and Directive 2014/46/EC.
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MOT test
The MOT test (or simply MOT) is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom for most vehicles over three years old. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after four years. The requirement does not apply to vehicles used only on various small islands with no convenient connection "to a road in any part of Great Britain"; no similar exemption is listed at the beginning of 2014 for Northern Ireland, which has a single inhabited island, Rathlin. The MOT test was first introduced in 1960 as a few basic tests of a vehicle and now covers twenty different parts or systems on or in the vehicle.[citation needed]
The name derives from the Ministry of Transport, a defunct government department, which was one of several ancestors of the current Department for Transport, but is still officially used. MOT test certificates are currently issued in Great Britain under the auspices of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), an executive agency of the Department for Transport. Certificates in Northern Ireland are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). The test and the pass certificate are often referred to simply as the "MOT".
More than 23,500 local car repair garages throughout England, Scotland and Wales, employing more than 65,800 testers, are authorised to perform testing and issue certificates. In principle, any individual in Great Britain can apply to run an MOT station, although in order to gain an authorisation from DVSA, both the individual wanting to run the station, as well as the premises, need to meet minimal criteria set out on the government's website, within the so-called VT01 form.
In Northern Ireland, tests are performed exclusively at the DVA's own test centres.
The MOT test was first introduced on a voluntary basis on 12 September 1960 under the direction of the-then Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples, under powers in the Road Traffic Act 1956. The test was originally a basic test including brakes, lights and steering check which was to be carried out after the vehicle was ten years old and every year thereafter. This became known as the "ten year test", or alternatively the "Ministry of Transport Test". A test fee has always been charged. The amount involved for a car when testing was first introduced in 1960 was fourteen shillings, (168 old pennies, or 70 decimal pence), plus one shilling, (twelve old pennies or five new pence), for the certificate. The voluntary period ended on 15 February 1961. The high test failure rate resulted in the age that vehicles became due for testing being reduced to seven years on 31 December, 1961. In 1962, the first commercial vehicle exam was created, and a valid certificate was required in order to receive a tax disc. In April 1967, the testable age for an MOT was reduced to three years. On 1 January 1983, the testable age for ambulances, taxis and vehicles with more than eight passenger seats (excluding the driver's) was reduced to one year.
The list of items tested has been continually expanded over the years, including:
In recent years there have been attempts to change the frequency of the MOT in the UK, including moving to a test every two years, or changing the age that vehicles become due for testing to four years, instead of three. However, these changes have been dismissed following government consultations, on the grounds of safety. Most recently, it was suggested by former Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, that the MOT again move to a biennial check, to help motorists save money as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. This plan has yet to be officially taken to consultation by the government, but has provoked response from safety organisations.
In order to allow vehicles to travel from one country to another, some international regulations require tests to be performed on vehicles. This is, for instance, required by the 1997 UNECE Agreement and by Directive 2014/45/EC on periodic road-worthiness tests, Directive 2014/47/EC on technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles and Directive 2014/46/EC.