MOT tests could change forever, thanks to UK electric car boom

There could be a change coming to the UK’s MOT test – the mandatory service that all cars three-years-old or over have to go through to prove their roadworthiness.

New rules have been proposed by the European Commission to ensure the safety of more modern cars and that could impact the UK too.

Much of the content of the MOT test is aligned with EC standards, having long been so while the UK was part of Europe. While it isn’t governed by these new proposals, the UK could follow Europe’s lead, according to Auto Express.

The details come from a recent European Commission announcement on changes that will affect drivers in Europe, in which it’s outlined that “the current rules, last updated in 2014, must keep up with technological advances such as driver-assistance systems and the growing presence of electric vehicles on the roads”.

It’s explained that testing needs to chance to include “periodic technical inspections” for electric vehicles and for electronic safety systems. That will include software testing for systems related to emissions, as well as to things like emergency braking.

Many modern cars have a full suite of features designed to make driving safer. Often called ADAS (advanced driver assistance), it can include things like emergency braking both forwards and backwards, warnings when you open the door in a busy area, lane departure systems and adaptive cruise control features.

Electric cars are well known for these features, thanks in no small part to the advancement of self-driving systems from the likes of Tesla’s Autopilot.

The aim of the new rules will be to make sure that the roads in Europe are as safe as possible, but ensuring that new standards are met and that those advanced features in more modern cars actually work.

The EC outlines that it’s going to focus on new emission testing, including detecting tamper devices that might want to cheat the system. It will also focus on spotting vehicles where the odometer has been tampered with, which could lead to a vehicle with much higher milage on the road than expected.

Exactly how these changes in Europe will impact on testing in the UK remains to be seen, but the Department of Transport told Auto Express that: “Any proposals for the European Union will be reviewed.”

That might mean that the UK’s MOT has to evolve, not just to make sure that vehicles are safe, but to ensure that those who want to drive in Europe don’t find that vehicle testing is a barrier to taking your car or van onto European roads.