The car/light goods vehicle MOT test is about to change – the European
Commission has changed the Directive that covers it. We take a look at
when these changes are likely to come into effect and what they mean
for MOT testers.
Britain has been testing vehicles
under the MOT scheme for 50
years now. Last year, the European
Directive covering the MOT test
was updated and revised by a
modern version called 2009/40/
EC. This was then updated by
2010/48/EU, which was ratified
on 5 July this year.
The new Directive keeps the EU
minimum 4-2-2 test frequency but
adds a number of new elements to
the British MOT test. The Directive
anticipates all test changes being
in place by 1 January 2012, and
a common European approach
to test certificates in place by
1 January 2014. So what is VOSA
doing to introduce the changes?
In terms of test frequency, in
mid-July the coalition government
confirmed that it intends ‘to look at
the issue of MOT test frequencies
later this year’. VOSA contributed
statistical data to inform the last
review in 2008, and we expect that
our computer system and the data
you have entered will be utilised
again in much the same way.
We expect to hear more details of
the government’s review proposals
later in the year.
As far as changes to the test
content are concerned, VOSA
has already been analysing the
requirements of the new Directive
and working out how to implement
them. We started this earlier in the
year by talking with representatives
of the MOT trade at our regular
Trade User Group and VTS
Council meetings. Both VOSA and
the Department for Transport (DfT)
are keen to ensure that any
changes to the test are introduced
in as practical a way as possible,
keeping the burden on the trade to
a minimum and ideally keeping the
changes cost neutral.
In many cases, the changes
shouldn’t necessarily lead to an
increase in average test times.
A good example is the malfunction
indicator lamps on the dashboard
that indicate defective electronic
power steering, electronic stability
control and secondary restraint
systems. Testers already check the
dashboard for other lamps, so no
extra time would be required for
this addition to the test.
Electrical wiring and batteries are
now included in the test’s scope,
but testers already check the
vehicle structure where wiring is
secured – often along the same
routes as other testable items,
such as brake pipes in the engine
compartment. So again, this
doesn’t look like an additional
burden on the tester. In the precomputerisation
days, testers often
(wrongly) failed vehicles for insecure
batteries, so they must have been
looking at them then! Now, it
means that when we implement
the new Directive, vehicles can
legitimately fail for battery insecurity,
for no extra tester effort.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/MoT - Issue 48 - Oct 2010.pdf
Commission has changed the Directive that covers it. We take a look at
when these changes are likely to come into effect and what they mean
for MOT testers.
Britain has been testing vehicles
under the MOT scheme for 50
years now. Last year, the European
Directive covering the MOT test
was updated and revised by a
modern version called 2009/40/
EC. This was then updated by
2010/48/EU, which was ratified
on 5 July this year.
The new Directive keeps the EU
minimum 4-2-2 test frequency but
adds a number of new elements to
the British MOT test. The Directive
anticipates all test changes being
in place by 1 January 2012, and
a common European approach
to test certificates in place by
1 January 2014. So what is VOSA
doing to introduce the changes?
In terms of test frequency, in
mid-July the coalition government
confirmed that it intends ‘to look at
the issue of MOT test frequencies
later this year’. VOSA contributed
statistical data to inform the last
review in 2008, and we expect that
our computer system and the data
you have entered will be utilised
again in much the same way.
We expect to hear more details of
the government’s review proposals
later in the year.
As far as changes to the test
content are concerned, VOSA
has already been analysing the
requirements of the new Directive
and working out how to implement
them. We started this earlier in the
year by talking with representatives
of the MOT trade at our regular
Trade User Group and VTS
Council meetings. Both VOSA and
the Department for Transport (DfT)
are keen to ensure that any
changes to the test are introduced
in as practical a way as possible,
keeping the burden on the trade to
a minimum and ideally keeping the
changes cost neutral.
In many cases, the changes
shouldn’t necessarily lead to an
increase in average test times.
A good example is the malfunction
indicator lamps on the dashboard
that indicate defective electronic
power steering, electronic stability
control and secondary restraint
systems. Testers already check the
dashboard for other lamps, so no
extra time would be required for
this addition to the test.
Electrical wiring and batteries are
now included in the test’s scope,
but testers already check the
vehicle structure where wiring is
secured – often along the same
routes as other testable items,
such as brake pipes in the engine
compartment. So again, this
doesn’t look like an additional
burden on the tester. In the precomputerisation
days, testers often
(wrongly) failed vehicles for insecure
batteries, so they must have been
looking at them then! Now, it
means that when we implement
the new Directive, vehicles can
legitimately fail for battery insecurity,
for no extra tester effort.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/MoT - Issue 48 - Oct 2010.pdf
