-
Hundreds of thousands of additional MOT tests will be
due by October, increasing the time drivers will need to allow
to book one in
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All RAC Approved and Accredited Garages have signed up
to a COVID-19 Code of Conduct, to give drivers
confidence
Drivers are being urged to ‘beat the rush’ and
get their vehicles through their annual MOTs this summer to avoid
joining hundreds of thousands of others* who have held off
getting theirs done by making use of the six-month MOT
coronavirus extension, which ends on
1
August.
The call comes as new research conducted among
members of the RAC’s
Approved and Accredited Garages
network** has found
that almost all (93%) expect demand to increase from October when
the first cars that had their MOTs automatically extended need
testing.
The good news for drivers keen to get a test
now is that 71% of these garages are currently reporting good
daily availability for booking MOTs and servicing. However, by
October 70% anticipate significantly more demand which could make
it difficult for some drivers to get their cars checked before
their MOTs expire.
Although every vehicle due an MOT between 30
March and 31 July is granted a six-month extension, drivers are
under no obligation to make use of it – and those that get their
MOTs completed as normal can be much more confident that their
cars are properly roadworthy.
Nonetheless, the impact of so many more cars
than usual needing their MOTs from October will be keenly felt by
drivers, as well as by garages and test centres. Four-in-10 RAC
Approved and Accredited Garages say they expect drivers will need
to book up to a week in advance, while around a quarter (27%)
expect that to extend to up to a fortnight. Nine per cent of
garages say the wait will be even longer, with drivers having to
book their cars’ MOTs anywhere from two weeks before they are
due, up to more than a month ahead.
The new findings
follow separate
research by the
RAC in June that
found one-in-seven drivers plan on making full use of the MOT
extension. This week the Government announced that it would be
removing the extension as of 1 August, which will help counter
fears that a growing number of potentially unroadworthy vehicles
will be driven on the UK’s roads.
RAC head of motoring services Adam O’Neill
said: “In many ways this is an ideal time for people to get their
cars booked in for an MOT – whether they’ve already taken
advantage of the automatic extension or not. Our garages have yet
to see demand return to pre-lockdown levels, but if drivers wait
until the autumn they’ll be trying to arrange MOTs at the same
time as hundreds of thousands of others.
“Understandably, demand for MOTs and servicing
fell sharply after the coronavirus lockdown as garages closed and
the Government instructed all of us to stay at home. But as the
lockdown has started to be eased, drivers may be left wondering
whether now is the right time to be getting their cars checked
over, or whether making use of the MOT extension is the best
course of action.
“The message from us is simple – our garages
are fully open and all are operating to
our COVID-19 Code
of Conduct to
help keep customers and staff safe. And with seven-in-10 offering
a Collect-and-Return service, reducing interaction with garage
staff, drivers needn’t be put off from getting MOTs, servicing or
other maintenance work completed.”
Servicing and MOT at any of the 700 RAC’s
Approved Garages can be booked
quickly and easily
online.
Ends
Notes to
Editors
** FOI
data shows
746,157 MOTs were completed in April 2020, down from 3.7m in
March
* Research conducted by the RAC among 228
garages that are members of its Garage Network, June
2020
