Communication and clarity with company car and van owners and drivers will be more critical than ever with this month’s introduction of MoT test changes with the new rules potentially contradicting the established Road Traffic Act, according to Kwik Fit, the UK’s largest automotive repair company.
Communication and clarity with company car and van owners and drivers will be more critical than ever with this month’s introduction of MoT test changes with the new rules potentially contradicting the established Road Traffic Act, according to Kwik Fit, the UK’s largest automotive repair company.
The new MoT comes into effect on May 20 with, instead of vehicles being given a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’, defects found will be categorised as ‘dangerous’, ‘major’ or ‘minor’ with the first two resulting in a test failure. Additionally, there are stricter rules for diesel car emissions and additional items included within the test.
Kwik Fit is the UK’s largest MoT tester and across its approximately 500 authorised MoT centres reports that company cars and vans have an 82% first-time pass rate with no rectification work required. A further 17% of company vehicles fail their MoT – typically due to tyre, light bulb and wiper blade defects – but following repair undertaken by Kwik Fit subsequently pass the MoT on the same day.
With the Europe-wide introduction of the new MoT in accordance with a European Union directive, vehicles deemed to have a ‘minor’ defect will still pass the MoT. However, under the Road Traffic Act 1988 vehicles must be kept in a roadworthy condition with drivers failing to comply facing a maximum £2,500 fine and three penalty points on their driving licence.
Dan Joyce, service, maintenance and repair (SMR) business manager for Kwik Fit Fleet said, “We will make vehicle owners and maintenance decision makers aware of defects whether ‘dangerous’, ‘major’ or ‘minor’ and empower them to make the decision on authorisation of any repairs. It is worth noting that all ‘dangerous’, ‘major’ and ‘minor’ faults along with any MoT tester additional advisories will be published immediately following the completion of the MoT test on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) site – https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-s…
“It is then up to vehicle owners and maintenance decision makers whether the vehicle is allowed to continue to be driven or a repair is undertaken. If a vehicle is driven on the road with a known defect, drivers could be subject to road traffic offences.
“If a vehicle is presented for its MoT early, the Road Traffic Act would be enforced if there is a noted defect. If the vehicle is driven on the road and is stopped by the police, or is involved in a crash, then the law will intervene.”
