No MOT test requirment for pre 1978 vehicles from next May

The DfT have announced today the pre 60 no MOT requirement is being lifted to pre 78 vehicles, in line with the European guidelines from May 2018. That's going to save me a lot of test fees on my stable of cars and it won't be long till the Supras get to 40.

Not sure if it'll be a rolling 40 years or be stuck on 78 like it has been on 60 for a while. Anyone with pre 78's can still submit their cars for a voluntary MOT test but I would want to clarify that any failure would not have any impact on the insurance cover before doing that.

PS - The 40 year rule is going apply so the date for exempt vehicles will be raised each year.

Best start saving for my General Lee then

silly idea if you ask me. imo all vehicles that are fit/insured to use the public roads should be tested every year to ensure they are safe to be there. i for one want my cars mot'd why wouldn't you?

silly idea if you ask me. imo all vehicles that are fit/insured to use the public roads should be tested every year to ensure they are safe to be there. i for one want my cars mot'd why wouldn't you?

This

As above. The MOT is pretty much the most basic test of roadworthiness. No reason why every car on the road shouldn't face it

It is also the only official means of recording the mileage of the car once a year. How are you going to verify if the mileage of a car if it hasn't had an mot ?

Get rid of the full MOT sure, but I think there should be some kind of basic test to ensure they're not going to split in half from rust at 80mph on the motorway.

silly idea if you ask me. imo all vehicles that are fit/insured to use the public roads should be tested every year to ensure they are safe to be there. i for one want my cars mot'd why wouldn't you?

Has this ever happened ? A car falling in half through rust - I've been in some places where the cars are unbelievable -Africa ,India and Far East - 3o-40 year old cars rusted out , never seen one fall in half , a few taxis crabbing as the chassis has snapped ,still in daily use .

Far more dangerous is 4x4 drivers in the snow , who don't understand tyres don't grip ice , driving way too fast on ice as they are invincible !!!

It is also the only official means of recording the mileage of the car once a year. How are you going to verify if the mileage of a car if it hasn't had an mot ?

Mileage on a 40 year old cars outside of museum pieces is inconsequential compared to the rust and mechanical condition of the car with body condition the paramount concern.

The classic World is alien to many Supra drivers so its not surprising that many view no testing requirment as a negative step. In the public consultations 56% of respondents were opposed to raising the limit beyond the present pre 1960 exemption. So clearly public opinion didn't hold sway in the decision. It was probably more tangible things like insurance data and MOT pass/fail data. There is a reason why classic car insurance is so cheap and that is very much down to its a low risk end of the market.

If you look at MOT failure rates, in some cities that is over 50% of vehicles tested and in the very best you still get 33% fail. Contrast that to pre-war Austin 7 owners whose last test year statistics were 7% failed. Considering the insurance stats and vehicle testing data it is a sensible decision to remove these generally well cared for and usually low mileage vehicles from the requirement for compulsory testing. The vehicles will still need to comply with any road inspections for lights, safety, tyre tread, oversized wheels etc and owners subject to fines and endorsement for any infringements.

As a owner of several cars in the 1960 - 1978 vintage I'm delighted that the MOT test expense is going to be no more from May next year.

All vehicles going the road should be tested

This probably just allows for stricter testing of post '78 cars without the need to add a load of get out clauses for old cars that would otherwise never pass. Easier and cheaper to exempt them rather than invent another rust/integrity/basic safety type test for older cars.

Brand new cars are except for 3 years

Why's no one crying about that?

And it's not as if this is a new idea, it's been around for quite some time!

Lets be realistic, any vehicle that is still on the road or back on the road after forty years is going to be completely restored and cherished, and if anyone is into vehicle restoration they will know that said vehicle is likely to be in better than new condition in both structural and mechanical, anything else is just going to be a pile of rust.

Lets be realistic, any vehicle that is still on the road or back on the road after forty years is going to be completely restored and cherished, and if anyone is into vehicle restoration they will know that said vehicle is likely to be in better than new condition in both structural and mechanical, anything else is just going to be a pile of rust.

Exactly, not as if joe bloggs is going to keep a car for that long to drive it without an MOT.

Lets be realistic, any vehicle that is still on the road or back on the road after forty years is going to be completely restored and cherished, and if anyone is into vehicle restoration they will know that said vehicle is likely to be in better than new condition in both structural and mechanical, anything else is just going to be a pile of rust.

I agree but who is checking to make sure the restorations make the car road worthy ? A lot of cars are restored by owners and who's to say they know exactly what they are doing ? You could also add garages to that as well as there are plenty of cow boys out there.

My old man is happy that's for sure. His '74 Spitfire and Camper are now both tax and MOT exempt

Obviously there will be a handful of exemptions that are not road worthy, but I agree with Tricky. Mileage on cars that age are largely irrelevant and if it is, the car will be factory condition if not better