Despite sweeping changes to the MOT Test demanded by the EU which took effect at the beginning of 2012, even more far reaching changes will take affect after 2017.
For the motorist the biggest change will be that cars with defects which render them ‘dangerous to drive’ could be banned from the road, although whether or not that will happen in Britain is as yet undecided. There will also be changes around how vehicles’ emissions are checked and regarding electronic components which have a safety related function, such as adaptive braking, cruise control and traction control.
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The new EU rules are in the form of a Directive, so exactly how they will appear in the MOT Test can be decided by the British Government – and the Department for Transport, working with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency will in due course be working out the details. Until that task is completed it won’t be possible to say exactly how motorists will be affected.
Historic vehicles and ‘substantial’ change
One aspect of the new EU rules is a change in the definition of an ‘Historic Vehicle’ which can be exempted from MOT Test. Whereas currently the British MOT exemption cut-off is 1960, the new EU rules apply the exemption when a vehicle is 30 years old – unless it has undergone “substantial change” from how it was when manufactured. Again, this could affect the owners of historic vehicles, depending on what the Department for Transport (DfT) define as a ‘substantial change’.
We understand that the DfT will be running a ‘workshop’ with interested parties to consult on issues surrounding the new EU rules on such Historic Vehicles.