In a major shakeup to the MOT system, cars between four and ten-years-old could have their required tests reduced from every year to every two years.
The move is aimed at reducing wait times for MOT tests, but the Department for Infrastructure has also detailed that as part of these reforms, a review of MOT fee costs may also be required to ensure a full cost recovery for DVA services.
It’s unknown whether this could result in the cost of an MOT test rising.
The public has been invited to voice their opinions on the matter through a twelve-week consultation period, running from January 22 until April 16.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said he wanted to hear from “road safety and environmental organisations”, adding “feedback from these groups will factor into my consideration of the way forward.”
Mr O’Dowd also noted changes to the MOT system he has already made while in office.
He said: “I introduced temporary exemption certificates for five and seven-year-old cars within specified date ranges. This measure, along with the recruitment of new staff and the use of overtime on Sundays and bank holidays, when vehicle testing is not normally conducted, means that the DVA has been able to reduce average waiting times for an MOT to 30 days on January 13, 2025.”
By adopting a biennial system, similar to that already in place in the Republic, it is hoped that Northern Ireland’s MOT backlog, will be significantly reduced.
Estimates have suggested that a move to biennial testing for selected vehicles between four and ten years old, could reduce the strain on the MOT system by 26% as around 253,000 out of one million vehicles annually would be removed from the system.
Critics, however, have voiced their concerns over the proposed reforms, suggesting that they could result in less safe roads, full of cars that are not roadworthy.
This consultation builds on the 2021 call for evidence on biennial MOT testing. It comes at a time when, according to projections, the total number of MOTs required will rise to around 1.2 million for light vehicles and to 65,000 for heavy vehicles, likely resulting in further increases to MOT backlogs.
