The MOT test came about a couple of years back to make sure vehicles on the road were roadworthy, safe and gave out reduced emissions. Furthermore, the tests also made sure that vehicles on the road were in good condition to avoid accidents and other mishaps that were caused due to vehicle failures when they could have been avoided. However, the same technology wasn’t powering cars back when the tests first came out so, with the passing of years, the tests started becoming slightly redundant.
Thanks to a rule by the Department of Transport through one of their teams, the MOT was made mandatory for vehicles above three years. It’s also an annual test post in which vehicle owners receive a certificate mentioning the status of their cars. If they do not have this certificate, they are not allowed to ply on the roads. If they drive anyway, they would receive heavy fines and penalties.
Around the same time as the Brexit announcement, there were a couple of changes that were suggested regarding drivers licenses, vehicle insurance, and registration of vehicles and how they would be handled throughout the EU according to the Brexit verdict. Multiple conversations came up about revamping the MOT tests since they were quite insignificant. Shortly after, the tests were re-worked adding a few more elements of the vehicle that were to be tested. In the first year, about one-third of vehicles going through the test didn’t clear it. A recent study post the test results being released mentioned that car owners do not get their cars tested if they feel there is nothing wrong.
Some of the new MOT tests that vehicles went through were making sure all the newer vehicles had their lights working, including ones that weren’t present on older versions of the same car. Some of these included reverse lights and daytime running lights which were features that only newer model vehicles came with.
There were stricter rules regarding diesel vehicles making sure their emissions matched the standard requirement. They had to have their engine tuned and proper filters otherwise they could be rated badly on their test.
Vehicle tires were another feature that wasn’t checked in detail in the past but now was part of the review. They needed proper threading and the brakes had to work well too. Vehicles had to be sure that their steering wheels were properly aligned so cars felt secure when they were being driven.
Most importantly there are new sections under which vehicles are rated. Owners received a status based on how well their car did on the test. They were then informed about the changes they needed to implement before redoing the test. Some changes have to be handled immediately while others in a bit. Depending on the overall rating vehicles would either clear the test or not, and if they didn’t clear, they had a couple of days to re-apply before getting their cars back on the road.
