The early cancellation of the government’s six-month MOT extension scheme has been welcomed by the comparison site, BookMyGarage.com. Karen Rotberg, co-founder of the site, had called for an end to the extension and hailed the decision as a victory for road safety and the economy. It’s a view that the AA and RAC also share, with both organisations welcoming the government move to end the rolling extension system on the 1st of August.
“It’s the right decision and a victory for both road safety and the economy. Many independent garages have been operational throughout, and since June 1, franchised workshops have been open again so there was no good reason for the extension to continue.”
The comparison site warned that 1.5million cars had failed MOTs due to dangerous faults between April and September 2019, the last six-month period for which figures are available.
While 35% of its bookings over the last three months included an MOT, since 1st June, BookMyGarage had recorded a 56% increase in MoT bookings over the previous month irrespective of the continued extension leading to an effective “opt-in” test system. The six-month extension was introduced by the government at the end of March. All cars due an MOT between March 30, 2020, and March 29, 2021, were given a six-month extension.
BookMyGarage responded to the move by launching a safety inspection test to check for dangerous faults which was free for NHS staff and key workers and also created a video for motorists to check some of the issues for themselves which would cause an MOT failure.
Rotberg warned there will be a backlog and urged motorists “to book tests quickly”. She added: “The system needs to cope with not only the millions that have lapsed but also those now due.”
A video on the website will still help motorists to check items themselves that can be rectified before booking an MOT to reduce reasons for failure. The average motorist books their MoT just 11 days in advance of it expiring.
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