The UK government has just announced that vehicles manufactured before 1960 will no longer be required to pass the annual Ministry Of Transport (MOT) test.

The new rule comes into force on November 18th 2012 and was announced today by Roads Minister Mike Penning. He said “The government is committed to cutting out red tape which cost motorists money without providing significant overall benefits. Owners of classic cars and motorbikes tend to be enthusiasts who maintain their vehicles well – they don’t need to be told to look after them, they’re out there in all weathers checking the condition of the engine, tyres and bodywork. Owners of classic vehicles will still be legally required to ensure that they are safe and in a proper condition to be on the road but scrapping the MoT test for these vehicles will save motorists money.”

The vehicles affected make up just 0.6% of the total number of licensed vehicles in Britain but they are only involved in 0.03% of road casualties and accidents. This new ruling follows a campaign by the all-party Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group which was led by East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight who said he was “delighted” by the announcement.

I’m sure this news will open up a can of worms. For instance, what will happen to classic car insurance for pre 1960 vehicles? Will you need to prove your car is road worthy to get it insured? This would make the new rule redundant if you need to supply an engineers report or similar to your insurance company! I’d be very interested in hearing your views on this…

(Photo by Richard Oakley)

Department of transport news article…