A quarter of ‘historic’ vehicles that were tested failed the MOT
Figures obtained by a popular classic car magazine show that 13,000 pre-1982 classic cars failed a voluntary MOT in the past year.
Of these, 2000 had dangerous faults.
A total of 52,122 cars manufactured before 1982 were sent for an MOT, of which a quarter (13,487) failed, according to Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) data supplied to Classic Car Weekly.
These figures can be broken down as follows:
- 3955 classified as ‘minor’ fails
- 7303 classified as ‘major’ fails
- 2299 classified as ‘dangerous‘ fails
The government is reviewing the exemption for ‘Historic’ vehicles as part of the MOT consultation, which closed on Wednesday.
Speaking to Classic Car Weekly, Foster and Heanes garage services manager, James Ravenscroft, said: ”Would you want to drive around in a car where you have no clue as to how safe it is?
”Tyres are a common stumbling point – cracks that you wouldn’t necessarily spot on the inner face of a tyre are easier to spot on an MOT lift.
”I feel that people are scared that their car might fail, which makes them MOT-averse. As a workshop, that sees a large number of classics coming through, we obviously have a vested interest in this but feel we are quite honest when it comes to testing classic cars.”
John Woods, who owns a classic car service and repair business in Flintshire, added: ”Hearing from colleagues in the industry, we found that the modern MOT doesn’t have the leeway to accommodate older vehicles, which more typically have oil leaks or slacker tolerances in their set-ups.
”The test’s black and white nature fails to account for historic vehicles. An MOT across the board could be the answer but it needs to be age-appropriate.”
Source: Classic Car Weekly
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