Due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, the government recently proposed a measure that would see UK drivers needing their car MOT tested every 2 years instead of annually.
This has been met with concern by motoring groups, garages, and drivers across the UK who believe that this will increase the costs for the typical driver, as well as make our roads less safe. In light of this, Group 1 Automotive conducted a survey of over 1,000 UK drivers to assess attitudes toward the change.
Here’s what the overall data reveals:
- Over half of the people surveyed told us they would be unhappy if the requirement for MOTs were changed from 1 year to 2
- 3 in 5 people would still take yearly MOTs even if it was not a legal requirement
- Over 60% of people would worry about driving with their children in the car if they didn’t have a yearly MOT
- Nearly 3/4 of people we surveyed believe not having yearly MOTs could cause small problems to get worse, as they aren’t identified early enough
- 3 out of 5 people think there would be bigger cost implications if MOTs were changed to 2 years
Attitudes Towards Changing MOT Testing in Wales
Our data showed that respondents in Wales were concerned about safety, as well as about the financial impact. 65% of people rely on yearly MOTs to gain an awareness of their car health, which was reflected in further responses regarding analysing safety concerns. For example, over 1 in 4 people only change their tyres when they’re needed for an MOT, extending the amount of time required before retesting could lead road users to neglect maintaing their vehicles. Almost 80% of people also believe that not having yearly MOTs could cause small problems to get worse, as they aren’t identified early enough.
These issues are likely to create anxiety amongst drivers, with 62% of people being concerned about driving with their children/family in the car, and over 35% being worried about driving with their pets, should the proposed change go ahead.
Despite the government’s intention to reduce living costs, over 70% of people surveyed believed there would be bigger cost implications if MOTs were changed to 2 years. The same number of people would continue taking yearly MOTs even if there was no legal requirement to do so.
Hope you enjoyed the story! If you do decide to write, please credit the original data source: https://www.group1auto.co.uk/
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