Motorists are being urged to book their cars in for an MOT to avoid a bottleneck in demand following the Government’s six-month extension.
A recent survey has revealed that 75 per cent of garages are experiencing a surge in demand for MOT bookings for October, November and December compared to normal year-on-year trends. Meanwhile, 45 per cent of garages said that they have had to make customers wait longer than usual to book their cars in.
Not only that, but 70 per cent of garages have experienced issues regarding increasing costs, along with an increase in prices for delivery. Sourcing issues for parts such as tyres and brakes have already arisen.
According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), 9.58 million cars were granted the six-month MOT extension. As of September 21, 58.7 per cent of those vehicles have yet to have an MOT test. Typically UK garages would expect to see 6.5 million MOT certificates expiring in October, November and December combined, but as a result of the extension, this number is expected to balloon to 10.4 million.
It means that drivers may not be able to get their car MOT tested when desired. If found driving without a valid MOT, motorists could be slapped with a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points on their licence.
Limvirak Chea, CEO and Co-founder of Fixter, who commissioned the study, said: “The backlog of vehicles for MOTs is having significant implications on garages, which comes as a result of the six-month Government Coronavirus extension. Following our study, we believe the current backlog is just the start, and that significant waiting lists are yet to come from October onwards. As a result, UK consumers are facing a race against the clock to get their MOTs booked-in now, to avoid significant waiting lists, resulting in them potentially unable to use their vehicle.”
