Northern Ireland’s MOT testing system faces significant delays, with average waiting times exceeding 100 days by May 2024. The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), responsible for conducting tests at 15 Stormont-run centres, has struggled to recover from disruptions since 2020.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has implemented temporary measures, including issuing one-year exemptions for cars under seven years old, reducing waiting times to 30 days by February 2025. DfI is also consulting on biennial testing, arguing modern vehicles are safer. However, 18% of NI vehicles failed MOTs in 2023-24, raising concerns about increased unroadworthy vehicles and higher insurance premiums.
DfI is constructing new test centres, costing £12m-17m each, but NI will still only have 19 centres for 1.3 million vehicles. In contrast, Great Britain has 23,500 test centres, licensing ordinary garages to conduct MOTs.
GB’s system, with annual tests, has a low rate of mechanical failure incidents (2%) and fraud cases (0.004%). Despite concerns, public acceptance is high.
Implementing a similar system in NI would reduce backlogs, increase motorist choice, and support small businesses. It would also eliminate the need for costly government-owned centres.
The current centralised system is perceived as ideological, rejecting GB’s model as “privatisation.” Unlike the Republic of Ireland’s single-company system, GB’s approach is a “dispersed co-operative.”
The current NI system, struggling since 2020, requires safety rule adjustments and inflates insurance premiums. Adopting the GB model would provide a more efficient and effective solution.
Source: Belfast Telegraph
