this is ultimately an additional financial burden on the MOT station, with no opportunity to realise a return on the investment, due to the capped MOT fee, which has not changed in well over 10 years.” As the cost of operating a MOT Station rises, it is becoming increasingly difficult for garages to shield their customers from having to pay closer to that maximum fee. Simply put, subsidising the price of a MOT is fast becoming a luxury the MOT stations can no longer afford to offer the motoring public.” “Put this to the DVSA and they will say that connected equipment provides efficiencies in time saving, no duplication of input from the tester, and the reduction of errors, but they also cite the fact that many, if not most testing stations do not charge the maximum fee, and it could be argued that by not doing so, Testing Stations are compounding the price cap issue.” While a fee rise is not on the cards, could we see more MOT Testing Stations charging the full rate? Frank commented: “The DVSA, directed by the DfT, are continually seeking new ways to drive in greater efficiencies and drive out errors associated with delivering the MOT service to the motoring public. These will ultimately be delivered through the MOT Testing Stations. however, for the motoring public to continue to benefit from the convenience of a local, accessible MOT service, the time is fast approaching where the cost of a MOT will no longer be a question that gets asked, as the response is likely to become the ‘fee is set by the Government and that cost is £54.85’.” Frank concluded: “Given that we in an election year it is unlikely that ahead of any election, there will be any changes to the MOT that will impact voters. The same might not be said for changes that may impact garages though.” MAHA UK Managing Director Neil Ebbs observed: “While the government continues to deliberate over the frequency of the MOT, there is no deliberation needed in terms of the importance of high-quality MOT garage equipment. The potential return on investment is evident by streamlining processes, reducing downtime, and increasing throughput.” On the support and training available, Neil noted: “MAHA UK offers technical support and comprehensive training programmes. Given the equipment is manufactured by MAHA, who better to offer training than MAHA UK’s engineers? Workshops can maximise the potential of their equipment, minimise downtime and stay ahead of industry advancements.” On the benefits of MOT Connectivity, Neil said: “MAHA UK's MOT garage equipment, including the MBT 2250 EUROSYSTEM software, allows seamless integration with other modules, transforming the brake tester into an allencompassing workshop platform. This connectivity improves efficiency and futureproofs the workshop for evolving industry demands.” For more information, visit: www.maha.co.uk Vehicles are failing the MOT for different reasons, and a recent analysis of over 250 million lines of DVSA MOT data on Garage Hive’s Garage Industry Trends platform showed EVs are more likely to fail a MOT on tyres than an ICE 36 AFTERMARKET FEBRUARY 2024 MOT www.aftermarketonline.net
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