The prospect of a change in the current MoT regulations has reappeared, following a Government statement that it intends to ‘…look at the issue of MoT frequencies later this year’. The previous Government investigated the possibility of changing to a two-year test back in 2008, but no further action was taken.

Supporters of the two-year test point out that such a change would bring the UK into line with many other European countries. However, road safety organisation RoadSafe has already condemned the proposal, pointing out that the MoT failure rate of 35 per cent was deemed too high in 2008 to make a two-year test viable. The failure rate has since risen to 37 per cent.

RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh explained: ‘RoadSafe joins the Tyre Industry Federation and other campaigners with a warning to the Government that extending the period between MoT tests would put lives at risk.’

Trade newspaper MoT Testing has also joined the criticism, quoting figures from a previous Labour Party study that suggested more than 400 people could die and 2,500 be seriously injured each year if the two-year plan was implemented. There are also fears that many independent garages could go out of business, with MoTs representing an important proportion of their annual turnover.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is the two-year MoT test a good idea – particularly for owners of low-mileage classics that are used infrequently and generally well maintained? Or, like RoadSafe, do you think it would put lives at risk by allowing vehicles in an unsafe state to go unspotted for longer? Whatever your view, we want to hear it. Write to us at the usual Peterborough address, or send an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .