MoTs suspended in Northern Ireland
Insurers unclear whether ‘exempt’ classics are covered – or can go abroad
Classic car owners in Northern Ireland affected by last month’s MoT chaos are being advised to contact their insurers before continuing to drive on an exemption certificate.
Most tests in Northern Ireland were suspended indefinitely last week due to safety concerns when cracks were found in most of the lifts in the country’s 15 MoT test stations; more than 10,500 scheduled tests had to be abandoned.
Affected drivers are being issued with exemption certificates while they wait for the problem to be fixed, but clearing the backlog could take months.
The Association of British Insurers’ head of public policy for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Alistair Ross, said: ‘Insurers will generally take a pragmatic view and not penalise policyholders for something that is entirely out of their control. Driver safety is paramount, so drivers should carry out basic vehicle checks in the meantime.’
Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, said: ‘ The exemption will be recorded in the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) system and a hard copy will arrive by post in the coming days. Drivers are still advised to contact their individual insurers.’
Unlike the rest of the UK, only dedicated publicly-owned centres can carry-out MoT tests in Northern Ireland. Exemption is not on a 40-year rolling basis – only pre-1960 classics are exempt from the test.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency said that drivers from Northern Ireland bringing their cars to the rest of the UK on an exemption certificate was a police matter.
Its spokesperson said that drivers bringing their cars from Northern Ireland could put them through an MoT test elsewhere in the UK if they wanted peace of mind.
The DVA did not respond to CCW’s request for a comment before this week’s issue went to press.