March 2021

Nine million motorists may not know when their MOT is due, as a survey has suggested there may be widespread confusion on the topic among drivers as a result of the MOT Exemption. According to the survey of 1,292 drivers by Total UK, 28% of all drivers, which would add up to nine million people, don’t know when they need to get their vehicle tested. The picture across the UK was mixed. According to the survey, just four out of 10 Bristol drivers knew when their MOT is due, while in Newcastle nine out of ten drivers could pinpoint the date. 17% also said they had driven their car when they knew there was something wrong with it. John Ryder, General Manager of Total Lubricants’ UK Blending Plant, said: “The past year has certainly been one of great uncertainty and it seems this has extended to people not knowing when their MOT is due. Since the beginning of the first lockdown, people have been driving a lot less due to increased home working and less commuting so their cars and maintenance requirements, including getting their MOT done, have not been front of mind. “The confusion stems from the MOT Exemption scheme which was introduced in March last year. However, it is important that drivers do not miss their MOT to ensure their car insurance remains valid, that vehicles are roadworthy and meet the necessary standards.” For more information, visit: www.total.co.uk/news/9- million-drivers-dont-know-when-MOT-due NEWS 4 AFTERMARKET MARCH 2021 www.aftermarketonline.net Nine million UK drivers don’t know when their own car MOT is due MOT diesel fails up 240% A record 1.27 million vehicles failed their MOT in the 2019/2020 period due to emissions, with diesels seeing a 240% failure rise compared to just 37% for petrol vehicles. Via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the DVSA, price comparison site BookMyGarage showed that more cars have failed on emissions in the last two years than any other. Jessica Potts, Head of Marketing at BookMyGarage.com said: “The large increase in diesel failures was caused by a change to rules made in 2018 for cars equipped with a DPF. Any car equipped with a DPF will now fail a MOT if there is either evidence it has been tampered with or if smoke of any colour can be seen coming from the exhaust.” Overall failures last year were up by more than 70% compared to 2017/2018– the final year before the new rules applied. She added: “What this data tells us though, is that an increasing number of relatively modern diesels are struggling to pass the MOT test as their emissions control systems face tougher scrutiny. It’s important these systems function correctly to protect the environment, but putting them right can also cost owners thousands of pounds.” To see an interactive graph comparing annual data for MOT emissions failures visit https://bookmygarage.com/blog/mot- failures-due-to-emission