A new European directive is calling for almost all pre-1984 cars to be made exempt from MOT tests. It seems strange that for once the EU appear to be advocating reducing road safety, but there we are.
The directive suggests that cars which are at least 30 years old, out of production, and running to their original specification, should be exempted from MOT testing, something which only applies currently to pre-1960 vehicles.
The theory is that owners of ‘classic’ cars tend to be enthusiasts who maintain their vehicles well, and drive only a few hundred miles a year, so the burden of an annual MOT test is unnecessary.
This may be true for pre-1960 cars but are owners of pre-1984 cars of the same mindset? Is the Mark 1 Ford Sierra a “classic” car? Or that favourite of the early 80’s joyrider – the XR3i?!
Is this a “classic car”?!
No vehicle on the road (even pre-1960 in our opinion) should be exempt from a regular check of its roadworthiness; a Ford Capri piling into you at 50mph due to feeble brakes and bald tyres will do just as must damage as a new Focus. Maybe for classic cars it could be mileage-based rather than annual, or a simplified MOT which is quicker and cheaper.
Plans to change the regime so the first MOT for new cars was after 4 years, and then 2-yearly afterwards, were dropped due to safety concerns, so this new rule (in the light of that) seems like madness. However, because this is an EU “directive” rather then an EU “regulation” it is up to the UK Government how it chooses to implement it. The DfT say, with their usual vagueness, “We are planning to consult nearer to implementation of the Directive and will of course be seeking the involvement of stakeholders with an interest in classic cars as part of that process.”
The UK government has until April 2018 to implement the EU Directive in whatever form it decides. Let’s hope sense, and overall road safety, prevails.