New ‘wild west’ road rules could exempt some UK drivers from MOT tests amid push for electric vehicles

Under the UK’s new ‘wild west’ road rules, some drivers may not require an MOT test. The Climate Change Committee recently raised concerns about the “worryingly slow” progress the UK is making towards its net zero targets, prompting a government white paper.

The white paper investigates potential changes to UK roads to encourage more drivers to switch from petrol and diesel to electric vehicles. Osman Boyner, founder of BEDEO in 2009, commented: “The UK was one of the first countries to offer the plug-in car grant, which is now defunct.”

He added: “Plus the plug-in van grant, which will close in 2025 and has been reduced significantly from £8,000 (and even up to £16,000 for the N2 category) to £5,000 in that time (2012 to present) The government has also been bogged down by the ICE ban from 2030 to 2035 and has lost a lot of SME support, especially when the cost to adopt a new electric vehicle (car and van) is almost 20% higher than a diesel equivalent. .”

The paper warns that emissions will continue to be produced after 2040 unless cars and vans are converted to cleaner forms of energy. BEDEO suggests that vehicle modernization could be the “missing link” to electrification.

Boyner also said: “The retrofit market is a bit of a ‘wild west’ at the moment, anyone can take a used EV platform, add it to a vehicle and offer it for sale. It doesn’t have to undergo any testing or validation, and if it’s for a classic vehicle, no MOT would be required either,” reports Birmingham Live.

“Electric retrofitting deserves to have its own regulation, terms and conditions to meet before converting a vehicle and putting it on the road, for the sake of other drivers and vehicle occupants.”