June 2019

JUNE 2019 AFTERMARKET 7 MOT centres are less likely to need to provide replacement copies of lost MOT certificates for customers going forward, thanks to a new online service that has been launched. It is estimated that businesses made £6 million per year as a result of providing MOT certificate replacement copies. However, the saving to motorists could be higher than £6 million as there is no way of knowing how many replacement MOT certificates have been sold by unofficial third parties. A total of 636,224, replacement certificates were issued during 2018. Motorists can now view, print and save any MOT certificate issued after 20 May 2018 by visiting www.gov.uk/replace-mot-certificate. They will need their vehicle registration number and the 11-digit reference number, with no spaces, from the V5C to use the service. Commenting on the new service, Roads Minister Jesse Norman said: “Motorists could save up to £6 million a year now it’s easier than ever to get copies of MOT certificates for their vehicles. This is part of a government drive to keep costs down for motorists and remove unnecessary barriers to getting out and about safely.” Neil Barlow, DVSA’s Head of Free MOT certificate copy service launched Following approval being granted by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK for the takeover of Ring Automotive by Osram, a partnership between the two companies has officially started. Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of Osram Automotive commented: "In addition to expanding our aftermarket portfolio, the acquisition of Ring will enable us to tap into additional sales potential and further ? ARED PREP OU Y ARE ements. eplac ery r art batt st p y g g % o - st a turn aw a es Of ar The bundle includes: er art batt op-st fit st ages with the o gar op solution th st dable and ac or a ON echnologies T obat B The Ec . ectly orr c ies o pportunity t vides o at pr essible one c is an X BOE ery att support and s xpert , eervsa ool alidation t v se ery analy Batt ignage. aining, tr , memory ery , batt r T LAUNCHING A t oba ec. www BATTERY TECHNOLOGIES For more information, find us on Facebook. @ecobatbatterytechnologies ech .t Vehicle Engineering, added: “DVSA’s priority is to help everyone keep their vehicle safe to drive. We want to make sure that motorists have the information they need to keep their vehicle safe to drive. The free copy MOT certificate service gives consumers choice and saves them time and money. The service will also help us to protect consumers by giving them a free alternative to businesses that charge for a copy MOT certificate online.” Motorists will still be able to get copy MOT certificates from any MOT centre if they cannot use the online service, and they can still be charged up to £10. They need to give the MOT centre their vehicle registration number and 11-digit reference number from the vehicle log book (V5C). The service can be used to get MOT certificate copies for cars, vans and motorcycles. Copies for lorries, buses and coaches will be available later in 2019. As well as printing copy MOT certificates the check MOT history service allows motorists to check a vehicle’s MOT history and if there are outstanding safety recalls. The Check MOT history service is used approximately 3.4 million times per month by motorists and those in the motor trade. expand our market expertise. The aim is to use the additional market and customer access and create synergies in the product portfolio and distribution channels," While Ring is already successful in Europe, Osram will give the Ring portfolio access to the US market via Osram Sylvania's established channels and open up new sales potential in Europe and the rest of the world with a differentiated brand strategy. Osram completes acquisition of Ring