Data backs industry concerns over 4-1-1 MOT proposals

44 per cent more repairs are carried out on cars in their fourth year than in their third year, research shows

Data backs industry concerns over 4-1-1 MOT proposals
The industry continues to fight against 4-1-1 MOT proposals.

Government proposals to extend MOT exemptions on new cars from three years to four could result in a significant increase in the number of unroadworthy cars on our roads as well as a huge jump in failed tests, according to WhoCanFixMyCar.com (WCFMC).

While the law change could see more than two million drivers avoiding paying for an MOT each year, after analysing over 47,000 lines of data from 2016, the website has uncovered that there are 44 per cent more repairs carried out on cars in their fourth year than in their third year.

This suggests there will be a much larger proportion of unroadworthy cars on the road due to problems not being spotted with the absence of an MOT at the three-year mark.

“Worryingly, 40 per cent of that work is replacing brake pads and discs, meaning millions of cars could be on the road with faulty brakes,” said Louis Butcher, WCFMC digital marketing manager.

“Travelling at 70mph on a motorway with poor brakes can easily result in a fatal accident.”

For some brands, the problem is particularly problematic, he said.

Cars manufactured by Skoda suffer 51 per cent more repairs in their fourth year compared to their third year, whereas BMW, Vauxhall and VW suffer 52 per cent more.

bigstock--1388342241Related: MOT extension slammed as ‘detrimental’ to road safety

“The financial implications are not great for drivers either.

“Although two million drivers will avoid paying for an MOT each year, a significant proportion of vehicles will likely fail their MOT, resulting in drivers having to spend money on repairs and a retest.”

Across every major car make and model in the UK, the average repair bill in the fourth year is £185; however, when the larger jobs such as clutch, gearbox and engine repairs are analysed, this rises to £382.

“These figures show that new legislation could put drivers at risk for the sake of saving money on one MOT test.”

To find out more about WCFMC, follow the ‘more details’ link below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Have your say!

0 0

Lost Password

Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.