MOT extensions ceasing from 31 July

marlot

The automatic MOT extensions are coming to an end on 31 July.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-mots-for-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-due-from-30-march-2020

marlot

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mandatory-mot-testing-to-be-reintroduced-from-1-august

Car_54

Unless I'm missing something, that means there will be double the normal number of tests due in October, as the deferred 'April' tests come due. The same for the next five months. Is there really 50% spare capacity in the system to deal with this?

Come April next year, the testers will be twiddling their thumbs as there will be very few tests due for the next six months. And the same in subsequent years.

Please tell me I'm wrong.

marlot

I don't think it will be double - a number of people have been having their MOT as usual.
Just found this on whatcar?  
"Figures obtained by Motorway.co.uk from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show that only 2.1 million MOTs were carried out in April and May of this year, compared with 7.1 million over the same period in 2019."
But yes, it will have created an annual problem.

marlot

My little MX-5 was due at the end of April, so now the end of October.  The centre was closed and cancelled my booking.

facade

The sensible thing is to book an MOT before September, the extension was free, so you haven't lost anything, and it will beat the rush, as well as moving it outside the "Winter wave" that the experts are predicting. (On the other hand, they may issue new extensions when it happens....)

Ant555

Sorry if this is a daft question but is the extension true change of the MOT date or has it just temporarily extended the expiry date of the current MOT - does that question make sense?
ie - my MOT was auto-extended by 6 months to October 2020 then will the MOT after that be due October 21 or back to April 21
Thanks

marlot

Ant555 said:

Sorry if this is a daft question but is the extension true change of the MOT date or has it just temporarily extended the expiry date of the current MOT - does that question make sense?
ie - my MOT was auto-extended by 6 months to October 2020 then will the MOT after that be due October 21 or back to April 21
Thanks

It'll be October 2021

molerat

October 20 is your current MOT due date and an MOT test will give the next date in exactly the way it does now, so October 21 if carried out within one month of the current test date.

Derek93

Whatever the merits of ending the MOT extension early in terms of road safety and for jobs in MOT test centres and garages it could be argued that this decision is really bad practice by the government.

In March 2020 when the 6 months extension was announced it was quite clear that it was for MOT's due for a year until the end of March 2021. Check out the original story from gov.uk on 25 March 2020. (I am not allowed to post links here at the moment)

This was communicated at the time by the media in various news outlets so people got the idea that the extension would be for 6 months for MOT's due for the next year. Then to just abolish the extension less than half way through the originally intended period (with appparently no extension at all for MOT's due from 1st August 2020) creates confusion for the public and also distrust of information coming from government departments in the future.

gingerdad

We had one extended but got it done a couple of weeks ago, as was due a service anyway - not sure I'd be waiting now unless really couldn't afford it, as your say there'll be a bigger backlog possibly