Two-year MOT could leave 2.5m dangerous cars on the road

Plans to scrap the annual MOT in favour of a test every two years could see up to 2.5 million cars and vans with dangerous faults allowed to remain on the road, according to vehicle experts.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps is reported to have suggested the change as a way to help ease the cost of living crisis.

However, as well as only saving drivers £27 a year, the idea has been widely condemned by motoring experts, who have warned it could have a serious effect on road safety.

In the financial year 2020/21, almost a third (30.23%) of the 30 million cars and vans presented for an MOT failed the test at the first attempt.

A third of vehicles failed the Class 3 &4 MOT last year, with 1 in 10 displaying a dangerous fault

More worryingly, one in 10 - 2.57m - failed due to at least one “dangerous” defect as defined by the MOT testers’ guide.

Karen Rotberg, co-founder of maintenance specialists Book My Garage warned that scrapping the annual MOT would mean these vehicles could be left on the roads for long periods with dangerous defects unaddressed.

She said: “This could be genuinely dangerous for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians and we would be seeing cars on the roads with serious defects.”

While lighting faults are the most common cause of MOT failure, the next most common are safety critical elements including brakes (7% of all failures) tyre defects (7%) and suspension (10%).