Coronavirus forces MoT suspension

Latest update on how COVID-19 is affecting motoring

CARS and vans are being granted a six-month exemption from the requirement to be put through an MoT test, after the Department for Transport recognised the difficulties and dangers implicit in testing millions of cars in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The legislation came into force on 30 March and runs for 12 months, effectively making MoT certificates valid for 18 months, instead of a year.

The news follows significant speculation regarding how the MoT system could be kept going as the UK locks down to slow the spread of the disease. The requirement to have a valid MoT was previously rescinded for heavy goods vehicles and buses, with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), together with the Department for Transport, issuing three-month certificates of exemption in recognition of the need to keep delivery and other vehicles running.

Now, cars are also temporarily spared from the annual roadworthiness check, thanks to an automatic six-month exemption for ones that were due an MoT from 30 March onwards. Announcing the changes, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps reminded drivers they must keep their cars “in a roadworthy condition”, and added that garages would remain open for vehicle repairs, if these were needed.

The Department for Transport is working with police and insurers to ensure that anyone who was self isolating and whose car was due an MoT before the rules were introduced on 30 March will not be “unfairly penalised for things out of their control.”

Shapps added: “We must ensure those on the frontline of helping the nation combat COVID-19 are able to do so. Allowing this temporary exemption from vehicle testing will enable vital services such as deliveries to continue, frontline workers to get to work, and people to get essential food and medicine. Safety is key, which is why garages will remain open for essential repair work.”

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