MOT testing is potentially facing its biggest overhaul for more than 60 years as noisier cars could be subjected to more rigorous tests, The Telegraph reports. As part of the Department for Transport's (DfT) "MOTs fit for the future" campaign, a consultation has been launched to identify if there should be more difficult tests to put a stop to loud car engines negatively effecting communities.
The alterations include the prospect of cars having an MOT every two years rather than annually, while also making environmental efforts by putting into practice harder testing on vehicle pollutants. More stringent testing around engine noise is another proposal put forward by the Dft, with a metered sound test probably to replace the current examination.
The new tests would require vehicles to meet strict noise limits ahead of going on the market, however motorists modifying their engines can still breach noise limits. They suggest noise meters be installed in garages that do MOT tests, which will allow them to work out if engine volumes are too high.
President of the AA Edmund King has endorsed the alterations, saying it "would be a welcome relief to those awoken by the illegal roar of the race".
This is not the first time the UK has had measures put in place to prevent noisy cars impacting communities. In 2022 the Government spent £300,000 on a scheme to install "noise cameras" to "banish boy racers".
The RAC supported this initiative, but was sceptical about if rolling out MOT tests would be possible, so instead suggested noise cameras be installed to loud engines. Other MOT changes included extending the period of time between tests to every two years.
The Government is also working out if new cars should continue requiring it's first MOT three years after registration, or if it should be extended to four. It has been assessed that such a move could save UK drivers up to £117 million a year.
But the move has its critics, with major motorising groups such as the AA and RAC opposing an extension. Nicholas Lyes, RAC's head of roads policy, predicted that it would put British motorists' lives at risk, as their vehicles would be more likely to be unroadworthy.
Other new regulations would include the introduction of new tests for pollutants that are environmentally harmful such as nitrogen oxide gases and particulate matter; microscopic particles that can cause serious health issues. To achieve the goal of reducing particulates, the DfT has proposed that diesel vehicles be examined more thoroughly to ensure that filters used to trap them worked effectively.
Increasing numbers of diesel vehicles are found to have faulty or non-existent filters, which can result in 10,000 times more particulates being sent out the exhaust pipe.
These changes are the most radical to MOT rules since the test became a legal requirement in 1960.
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