MOTs Get Greener - DVSA Changes to MOTs
From April 29 2024, the DVSA have introduced to a different way that drivers will receive their MOT certificate in a bid to be more environmentally friendly. 2018 saw some big changes for MOTs when the Department for Transport announced that cars that failed their MOT could no longer legally be driven. Previously, the car could continue to be driven until the old MOT had officially expired. Whilst these latest announced changes are somewhat less drastic, it is a major change in the way things are done.
Now, the DVSA has gotten rid of the paper certificate showing a pass or fail as proof of MOT. Certificates will not be digital via the MOT history checker available online.
Gordon Thomson from the DVSA told the Express: "...we want to move away from issuing a paper copy of pass certificates at the time of the test.
"The MOT history service contains the digital test record for every vehicle. It provides the most up to date and secure way to check the MOT history.
"Using this service also reduced the need for paper and is more environmentally friendly."
So, it is clear that the motives behind this change are to make it easier to access MOT service history and have an electronic record of the MOT certificate. Further, with the automotive industry being infamously un-environmentally friendly, this small shift will reduce the use of paper. According to the DVSA, approximately 30 million MOTs are carried out annually. Assuming each MOT uses a single sheet of paper, that would save 30 million sheets of paper each year. For context, 30 million sheets would have a height of nearly 1.9 miles and weight of 150,000kg.
There has been mixed feedback to this news as older drivers comment on the difficulties they already face in a world that is becoming ever more digital. Car technology is rapidly evolving and can be difficult to keep up with. Now, MOTs are following suit.
