Closed petition Maintain the current first MOT date for cars at three years

Closed on 3 May 2017

The current MOT system ensures vehicle defects are remedied quickly to ensure drivers’ and other road users’ safety. Around 17% of cars fail their first MOT on their initial attempt, so extending to four years will result in an extra 400,000 unsafe cars on the roads and risk higher accident rates.

In 2016, the UK saw a fall in the number of road deaths. Attributed to improved vehicle safety, the current three-year first MOT identifies potentially fatal vehicle defects, including 47,000 brake failures that were detected on three-year-old cars at their first MOT. The three-year MOT has proven to be an important safety milestone. In 2011, TRL research revealed motorists would fail to properly maintain their vehicles without the pressure of a MOT deadline.