Nearly 50,000 technicians yet to complete MOT annual assessment

Approximately 50,000 MOT testers have yet to complete their annual assessment, according to data from the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

As the March 31 MOT tester annual assessment deadline approaches, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is calling on MOT testers to stay compliant, and to continue to legally carry out MOT tests on vehicles by prioritising their annual assessment.

The DVSA has confirmed it will not be extending the annual training year this year.

Chris Price, head of MOT policy at the DVSA, said: “For the past couple of years, we have extended the annual training year to help the industry recover from Covid 19, however this year things are much improved, and we will not be extending the annual training year.

“Therefore, if you have not completed this year’s annual training by midnight Thursday March 31, 2022, you will be suspended from testing.”

The IMI said its MOT training and assessment package offers a 3-hour e-Learning training module that can be completed in bite-size chunks.

It also gives testers the opportunity to take the assessment twice if they’re not happy with their score after their first attempt. The DVSA also requires a pass rate of 80%.

Steve Scofield, head of business development at the IMI, said: “The workload of MOT testers remained heavy throughout 2021 as the nation juggled lockdowns, further restrictions and absenteeism because of the pandemic. And this has continued into 2022, with many still working full throttle to ensure their customer MOT renewals are met in time.

“The knock-on effect is that prioritising the MOT tester annual assessment is falling short; the DVSA reports that nearly 50,000 testers have yet to complete their assessment, despite the deadline being less than nine weeks away.

“The reality is that if an MOT tester fails to meet the MOT Annual Assessment deadline of 31st March, they will not be able to legally conduct any MOT work from April 1 onwards, until training and assessment has been carried out.

“They will need to be able to competently demonstrate to a DVSA representative their ability to carry out an MOT assessment on a vehicle, which will be conducted face-to-face at the tester’s place of work.

"In short, failing to complete the assessment in time could have serious consequences both for garage income and road safety.”

The recruitment and retention of mechanics and MOT testers is set to remain as a key challenge for garages and workshops this year, according to the Motor Ombudsman.

Analysis from the IMI suggests 90,000 automotive technicians will be required to provide sufficient workforce to service the volume of zero emissions vehicles predicted to be on UK roads by 2030 - the government’s Road to Zero deadline.

The IMI is also running its annual MOT training and assessment webinar in February to help MOT testers pass their assessment.

In partnership with Chris Price, head of MOT policy at the DVSA, the webinar - ‘MOT Made Manageable’ - takes place on February 10 at 15.00.