The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has warned that the MOT system is on the verge of a breakdown as a result of the mounting recruitment and training crisis. And it has called for an end to “cut price” tests.

The shortage of trained testers – there are just 55,000 to cover the whole of the UK – combined with insufficient on-going tester training to maintain quality standards is seriously impacting on the status of the MOT.

Says RMI operations manager Ian Davis-Knight: “Testers need better training and they need to be retrained more often. Unless they keep up with the latest developments they will not be able to do their job to the best of their ability.”

He argues that these failings, combined with the trend towards cut-priced tests, were beginning to impact strongly on consumer confidence in the test system.

“Let's stop cut-pricing the MOT. By doing so we invite the public to view it as a second rate service. We need a statutory price for the test, to which all testing stations can adhere.”