15% of MoT verdicts incorrect
New research conducted by Auto Express has revealed that a high number of MoT test results are wrong.
The results state that one in seven MoT tests carried out were wrong, according to the new report.
Figures obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) annual MoT Compliance Survey show 15 per cent of results were incorrect, with 18 per cent of those given a pass when they should have failed. A further 11 per cent received fails instead of passes.
The 2014 stats highlight the growing inaccuracy of MoT test centres across Britain. The DVSA’s error rate of 15 per cent across the 1,800 randomly selected vehicle test stations was an increase of two per cent over the previous year. In almost a third of the vehicles tested, the DVSA vehicle examiner found faults the test centre had missed or ignored.
The defects weren’t just flat tyres or faulty headlamps, as 13 per cent of the vehicles tested should have been banned from the road. This negligence by test stations forced the DVSA to issue disciplinary action in more than 15 per cent of cases.
A spokesman for the Drivers and Vehicle Standards Agency said, ‘The DVSA continues to take the quality of MoT testing seriously. Garages who fail to meet the required standards risk having their licence to carry out MoT testing withdrawn.’
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) MoT testing data found an average of nine per cent of all new vehicles fail their first MoT after three years.
According to the data, of the 2.4 million new cars registered in 2014, an estimated 222,879 will fail their first MoT in 2017.
Under the Government proposals, these un-roadworthy vehicles, which could have illegal tyres, damaged lights or faulty brakes, would be on the road until 2018.
The number of potentially unsafe cars on the roads will grow over the next few years, too, as the UK continues to register record numbers of new cars each month.
The DVSA’s own data reveals nearly 12 per cent of four-year-old cars already fail the MoT, which is currently their second test. Under the new scheme, this test would become a vehicle’s first MoT, and failure rates would likely rocket.
A DVSA report admitted, ‘Vehicle age was an important, if not the most important, variable tested. In general, the older the vehicle, the more likely a negative test result.’
Since the announcement in the 2015 Budget, that the MoT testing laws would be extended by 12 months for any new cars purchased (for new cars and motorcycles to be MOT tested after four years instead of three), many industry insiders have since called for a U-turn on this proposal.
A Department for Transport spokesman confirmed, ‘The Government will explore the options for requiring motorists with new cars to undergo the first MoT after four years rather than three as part of the forthcoming Motoring Services Strategy.’
