New legislation coming into force from February 2021 includes some MOT class 4 and 5 vehicles
New legislation to be introduced from 1 February 2021 which bans tyres over ten years old applies to some vehicles that fall into the MOT scheme, the DVSA has clarified.
The ban covers England, Scotland and Wales and will affect tyres fitted on the front axle of a goods vehicle with a maximum gross weight exceeding 3,500kg, a bus, coach or minibus.
However, it also applies to vehicles with more than eight passenger seats that are not used commercially and are tested in MOT classes 4 or 5.
The DVSA’s Chris Price said: “This means failures for tyres over 10 years old on the front axle of any vehicles with nine or more passenger seats, and any single wheels of a minibus – 9-16 passenger seats.
“These vehicles will also fail if they do not display a legible date code on in scope tyres.
“So, when testing you will need to check that each tyre displays a date of manufacture or re-treading date on the appropriate vehicle.”
An updated version of the MOT inspection manual, setting out the detail of what testers will need to look for, will go live in January.
The DVSA says the additional check will not add significant time to the test because tyre condition is already checked.
The Department for Transport first announced the ban in July 2020 following a consultation and extensive investigations which indicate ageing tyres suffer corrosion which could cause them to fail.
DVSA’s chief executive Gareth Llewellyn said: “This new landmark legislation will help to protect all road users against unsafe vehicles.
“Drivers, owners and operators are responsible for the safety of their vehicles, so we advise them to start checking the age of their tyres to ensure they’ll meet the new requirements.”
