Survey shows over half of Northern Ireland driving without MOT due to booking issues

Drivers across Northern Ireland are experiencing a range of issues when booking their MOT test, according to an online survey.

The Covid-19 pandemic, cracks in testing centre lifts and the delayed completion of two new testing centres in South Belfast and Mallusk have all helped create an unprecedented backlog of MOT tests.

A mass recruitment process across 12 testing facilities is also now in place to try and tackle the delays and the DVA has offered guidance to the public on securing a date for an MOT, however a new survey shows drivers in Northern Ireland are still feeling the strain.

The random survey of 1,000 people by Northern Ireland’s largest price comparison site CompareNI.com found that over half of NI drivers (58%) admitted they were driving on the roads past their MOT due date as a result of booking issues, meaning over half of vehicles here could be unroadworthy.

The survey also found that 42% of drivers in Northern Ireland had to wait for a cancellation just to be able to book an MOT slot.

When it was possible to book a slot, 43% had to wait over three months for their appointment.

At the time of writing this article, booking information shows that test centres in Armagh, Ballymena, Balmoral, Cookstown, Craigavon, Hydebank, Larne, Lisburn, Mallusk, Newtownards and Omagh had no appointments currently available.

For the four remaining test centres there was a four-month waiting list, with no available appointments until July. The DVA website also shows further closures to five testing sites throughout February to April for essential maintenance, ranging from two-day closures for car testing to over a week of closures for each site for HGVs.

Commenting on the survey, Ian Wilson, managing director of CompareNI.com, said: “It’s disappointing that nearly four years after the beginning of the pandemic 69% of drivers in Northern Ireland say they are still having issues booking an MOT.

“Although the PSNI has agreed not to penalise drivers whose MOTs have expired if the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition, and the driver can provide proof that they have booked an MOT appointment, it creates other issues with vehicle tax and insurance.

“Drivers cannot tax their vehicle without a valid MOT certificate, and without tax, car insurance may not be valid. The DVA is advising drivers who find themselves caught in this issue to contact their customer services team to see if they can get a more immediate appointment.

“If drivers find themselves facing significant delays and driving on the road past the date of their MOT, it is important to check their insurance policy or speak to the insurer about their concerns. Outside of regular MOTs, it is a consistent condition of insurance that owners maintain their vehicles in a safe and roadworthy state – if drivers have any concerns, they’ll need to visit local repair garages for safety checks and ensure the vehicle has regular servicing, unfortunately this is an extra cost that 39% say they are now having to pay, in lieu of a valid MOT.”

In response a DVA departmental spokesperson, explained: “In 2022-2023, the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) conducted over 1.15 million vehicle tests which is the highest number ever recorded in a year.

This increase in capacity has been achieved through a range of measures including the recruitment of additional vehicle examiners, the use of overtime to provide cover for leave and offering vehicle test appointments on Sundays and bank holidays, when testing is not normally available. In 2023, there were only seven days in the year when DVA did not offer MOT appointments.

"A further vehicle examiner recruitment competition also launched on 19 February and will be used to fill staff vacancies across the DVA’s network of test centres. Disappointingly, the number of vehicles that failed to attend a booked appointment in 2022-2023 was also the highest on record at 50,772.The construction of a new test centre at Hydebank, in Belfast, is nearing completion and will open later this year.

"The construction contract for a second new test centre at Mallusk has also been awarded and this new test centre is expected to open in 2025. Once fully operational, these two new centres will provide the capacity to test over 200,000 additional vehicles per annum, which will help the DVA meet the future demand for this service.“Anyone whose tax has expired, or who is within five days of their tax expiring, can contact the DVA customer services team for an urgent appointment.”