This was to take into consideration the safety advances in motor vehicles and the requirement for first MOTs and the annual MOT of vehicles.
In this article, we’ll highlight some of the proposed changes and how they relate to Private Hire Vehicles.
1. Requirement for the first MOT from 3 years to change to 4 years.
This will mean all new cars will be required to take their first MOT 4 years after first registration instead of the current 3 years. We think this will be welcomed by Private Hire Vehicle drivers, as it not only saves them some money but also one less thing to remember. However, we do understand that PHV vehicles spend more time on the road than most other vehicles, so with that in mind, we wonder if TfL will require PHV drivers to follow a different set of rules.
2. Annual MOT to be changed to 1 MOT every 2 years.
This again is being highlighted as a cost saving for drivers, but the current TfL rule for Private Hire vehicles requires 2 MOTs a year. It will be interesting to see if this means licensed vehicles will need only 1 yearly check and non-licensed vehicles will move to one MOT every 2-years. The reason why the Department for Transport is suggesting this change is due to newer vehicles being safer
3. Live Vehicle Manufacturer Recall Updates
This specific function has already been agreed and the Department for Transport has teamed up with major vehicle manufacturers to include live vehicle recall updates. This means when you take your PHV in for MOT, you will be given information about vehicle manufacturer recalls as an advisory. Your car won’t fail due to the advisory, but keep in mind TfL also sends reminders to drivers regarding any manufacturer recalls and you must take the vehicle in for the changes or TfL may suspend your private hire vehicle licence until the issue has been resolved.
4. EV battery checks
The Department of Transport is considering adding an EV battery check as a part of the MOT process as there are more electric vehicles on the road and the space is growing. As you know by now, TfL only licenses Zero emission vehicles since the start of this year, this means more private hire drivers will own electric vehicles, therefore this check will be something they will need to get done on their vehicles.
Similar changes have been introduced by other EU countries and we think there needs to be an update to the MOT testing, especially to keep up with the fast-changing technology advances of modern vehicles that can self-diagnose through software. For sure these changes by the Department for Transport will directly impact new changes for private hire vehicles. We will of course update you once the consultation results have been reviewed and the official changes are announced.
