IMI warns MOT delay may spark rise in EVs with worn tyres

An in-depth report examining the impact of delaying MOTs has suggested it will have a ‘detrimental impact on safety as a whole’ – and could increase the number of electric cars on the road with dangerously worn or damaged tyres.

A government consultation on extending the first MOT from three to four years and then every two years was discussed in January and will be finalized later this month (March 22).

It could lead to the biggest MOT shake-up in decades, with MPs believing that making these changes will collectively save motorists around £100 million a year, while having little to no impact on road safety.

However, the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) strongly disagrees with the findings of a new study shared exclusively with This is Money. One of the biggest concerns is that the heavier wear and tear on electric car tires is not being picked up on by owners.

MPs’ main argument for extending MOT schedules hinges on electric cars becoming more popular as we get closer to 2030 and the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel models.

Now that EVs have fewer moving parts to check, the ministers believe that the existing frequency of MOTs is no longer required.

More safety technology in all modern cars is another reason for MPs to call for an extension of periods between tests (which are capped at £54.85) in a bid to ease the financial strain on drivers.

However, the proposal to delay MOTs has already drawn criticism from road safety campaigners who are concerned it could lead to an increase in casualties and Britain’s long-standing reputation as one of the safest roads in the world could affect.

And now the IMI has expressed its opposition to the content of the consultation.

Based on detailed research – which, according to the institute, no one else has looked so deeply into – it has been found that extending the time until a vehicle’s first MOT is not only “harmful to road safety as a whole”, but above all “a significant pose a risk to consumer confidence in electric vehicles’.

The main concern of EVs is their higher rate of MOT failures due to tire failure.

The institute says this is because electric cars are heavier and have more torque and faster acceleration, which causes rubber to wear out more quickly.

The combined effect is faster tire wear than equivalent petrol or diesel models, it says.

However, tire manufacturers dispute this suggestion, claiming that they often outlast tires fitted to internal combustion engine cars. This is due to their different connections and structures, which are specifically designed around the increased weight of the vehicles.

Still, the institute points to data from the Department for Transport showing that electric cars have a higher failure rate than petrol cars from 2012 – and this is mainly a result of tires being the problem.

Analysis shows that 46 percent of initial breakdowns for electric cars are related to the poor condition of their rubber.

For petrol and diesel models, tires are the first defect in only 32 percent and 29 percent of MOT inspections respectively.

The IMI believes that if EV tires go unchecked for another year, these cars are likely to pose a greater threat on the road, especially to more vulnerable users.

The latest road casualty figures from the DfT show that 26 people were killed in accidents in Britain in 2021, with vehicle breakdown being a contributing factor.

While brake failures were by far the most common type of failure – with a total of 750 casualties in 2021 and one of the causes of 10 fatalities – tires were the second most common failure associated with accidents and were among the contributing factors in 491 injuries.

And worn and under-inflated tires were the most commonly associated cause of death in these cases, with 12 people needlessly dying in collisions with vehicles using worn-out or illegal rubber.

“Since most initial MOTs occur in conjunction with routine maintenance, it is shocking that these numbers exist for breakdown rates at all, suggesting that many of these vehicles are not subject to routine maintenance that would pick these items prior to the APK inspection. explains Hayley Pells, Policy Manager at IMI.

‘The IMI’s response to the APK consultation will therefore strongly advise that extending the time until a periodic inspection of cars is detrimental to road safety.

“It reduces the frequency of maintenance and inspections that are critical to ensuring vehicles are in good condition and performing at their best.”

Drivers can be fined up to £1,000 for using a vehicle without a valid MOT and it will also void their insurance.

The tests check a number of components, such as lights, seat belts, tires and brakes, to ensure they meet legal standards.

MEPs have also argued that extending current MOT schedules would bring Britain into line with other European countries such as Denmark, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, where cars get their first roadworthiness test every four years and then once in a year. the two years.

But industry insiders are not only concerned about the impact on road casualty statistics – which are lower in Britain than in almost any other country – but are also concerned that a reduction in testing could leave many independent operators who rely on MOT income from their business.