Drivers’ forgetting these simple checks causing | Tech News

An MOT check is never one thing to look ahead to. It comes with the fixed concern of failure and the potential expensive payments which comply with.

Figures show that in 2023 a whole of 43,678,099 vehicle MOT checks had been carried out in Great Britain. But of these 9,873,386 (22.6%) resulted in a failure.

However many of these may have been prevented as they had been as a result of of issues which may have been corrected simply earlier than heading for the check. Now specialists are advising of some straightforward checks that may be made to cut back the possibility of failure in addition to prevent money.

Research by Go.Compare car insurance coverage utilizing a mixture of survey knowledge and official DVSA testing figures estimated how many MOTs are needlessly failed. And it was discovered the quantity of ‘easily avoidable’ MOT failures has risen by 133,000 during the last 4 years.

Whether it’s because people are much less ready when taking their automobiles to get examined in comparison with current years is unclear nevertheless it does imply they’re shedding thousands and thousands as a consequence. Drivers at the moment are being urged to carry out a few simple checks earlier than their vehicle’s MOT for the height testing month of March.

The examine discovered within the final financial 12 months, there have been 2.59 million failures brought on by components which drivers may have checked and resolved upfront. In comparability, the 2019/20 financial 12 months noticed round 2.4 million failures brought on by the identical sort of defects, indicating a gradual increase.

It additionally discovered that about one out of each 10 motorists miss the window for a free retest when their car fails, which means they must pay for a second check. Based on the utmost MOT price of £54.85, because of this the annual quantity misplaced to avoidable retests may need elevated by £770,000 during the last 4 years.

Go.Compare discovered that roughly 1.4 million failures had been as a consequence of points with lamps, reflectors and electrical gear. About 710,000 had been as a result of of issues with the vehicle’s tyres and one other 461,000 falling beneath the visibility class which incorporates the windscreen and wipers.

Yet, every of these components can simply be checked and sorted out earlier than the MOT to forestall a failure. Eric Smith, MOT scheme supervisor at Kwik Fit, which carries out probably the most MOTs within the nation, says there are a few issues that may catch out drivers when getting their car examined.

Parking stickers from days out or music festivals can result in a failure whereas messy autos can do the identical amid considerations a piece of garbage rolls beneath the pedals. Eric provides: “While the MOT is a vital annual safety check, drivers shouldn’t leave it up to the MOT tester to make sure their car is roadworthy.

“Many common MOT failure items are easy to spot at home, and we encourage car owners to not only carry out checks before their MOT, but to get into the habit of making them regularly throughout the year. That way, as well as avoiding an unnecessary MOT failure, drivers will be keeping their car safer all year round.

“In addition, if the car undergoes an annual service, many potential MOT failures would be picked up during that, saving drivers the hassle of an MOT failure and retesting.”

The examine found “lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment” was the most common defect category for failures over the last year. A quarter of failures involved issues with these parts.

The second most common factor was issues with the vehicle’s suspension, which contributed to just under a fifth of all failures. Problems with brakes was a factor in 16% of all failures.

Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, says: “Taking your car to get its MOT done can be a nerve-wracking experience, so it’s important that you prepare for it properly to avoid incurring any needless extra costs. Our research shows that millions are lost every year just because drivers fail to do a few simple checks before the test, so make sure you don’t make the same mistake.

“Check that all the bulbs are working properly and replace any that you need to, then measure the tyre pressure and take a look at the tread depth to see if it meets the minimum requirements. You should also look for damage to the car’s windscreen and wipers, before testing the washers. Remove any parking stickers, like those from festivals, from the windscreen too.

“Remember, your car won’t be road legal if it fails its MOT, meaning your insurance will become invalid as well. If it fails, you’ll need to get the issues rectified before you can drive it again.” More information on preventing avoidable MOT failures can be found on Go.Compare’s web site.