Drivers unaware of roadworthiness

11 July 2014  

A recent survey conducted by Approved Garages has shown that 41% of drivers questioned believe an MOT means their car is completely roadworthy for the 12 month period between tests.

The network presented a case study where a car was failed for having worn tyres and was then retested after the customer had fitted part-worns with just enough tread to make them legal and therefore passable. While the car had its certificate, the tester made the customer aware the tyres would only be usable for a matter of weeks, not months.

Phil Seymour, Approved Garages network manager, says: “This figure is really shocking and very worrying. Car owners need to be educated on the difference between MOTs and car servicing. It’s so important that a car is serviced regularly; most cars need a service once a year. Not only does this keep the car roadworthy, but a car is less likely to develop a big expensive fault with regular maintenance.”

13% believed that a car service was part of an MOT, and did not understand that during the test a technician is unable to physically remove any parts of the vehicle. survey also showed that one third of people failed to have their car serviced annually and that 16% of car owners only took their car in for a service when there was something wrong with it.

The survey targeted 1,000 drivers throughout the UK between 18 and 60 years-old about their servicing habits.