The Driver and Vehicle Agency says it has steadily increased its vehicle testing capacity to pre-Covid levels as MOT centres across Northern Ireland continue to tackle huge backlogs of drivers seeking appointments.
MOT tests have been suspended several times over the past two years, leaving many drivers facing long waits for appointments.
In some cases, drivers have been unable to get their vehicles tested before their current MOT certificate expires. Many have also been waiting for up to six months and travelling hundreds of miles to secure an appointment.
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Cars are due their first MOT after four years. MOT tests for cars and light vehicles were first suspended in January 2020 after concerns over lift equipment.
Cracks in vehicle lifts were first detected the previous November but the problem rapidly escalated in January when all Northern Ireland MOT tests - of which there are usually around 1,500 per day - were suspended after cracks were found in 52 of the 55 vehicle lifts in the 15 test centres across the region.
Testing of HGVs, buses and motorcycles were unaffected by the disruption while owners of cars and light vehicles that were five years old or more were eligible for a temporary exemption certificate.
Younger cars and taxis were prioritised for tests that were carried out in the heavy vehicle lanes in MOT test centres.
The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) later confirmed it was spending £1.8m on the installation of 52 new lifts for MoT centres, work which was completed in October 2020.
The arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 again put the brakes on tests.
A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) told Belfast Live: “The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) has steadily increased its vehicle testing capacity to pre-Covid levels by adopting a range of measures including the recruitment of additional vehicle examiners, the use of overtime to provide cover for leave and by offering vehicle test appointments on a Sunday and bank holidays, when testing is not normally available.
“The latest information on MOTs is available on NI Direct and is also included as an advice note with every MOT Reminder Letter issued to their customers.”
The DVA echoed its advice to vehicle owners who require an MOT to tax their vehicle and cannot secure a date before their MOT expires to book the earliest available appointment and keep checking the booking system for an earlier appointment.
The DfI spokesperson added: “If they get to within five days of the expiry date of their vehicle tax and they have been unable to secure an appointment or their vehicle tax has expired, they should contact the DVA Customer Services team at dva.customerservices@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk and they will do their best to get an urgent appointment for the vehicle.
To date, all customers who have contacted the DVA in these circumstances have been offered an earlier appointment, they added.
The DVA said it does not currently hold information in an accessible format to enable it to accurately report the average waiting times for vehicle tests given that this position changes on a regular basis.
However, as at 2pm on Monday, November 15, the DVA confirmed that over 127,000 vehicles have a vehicle test booking appointment up to 28 February 2023 and over 51,000 further appointment slots are available across its network of test centres for the same period.
“The DVA releases vehicle test appointments on a daily basis and customers are encouraged to regularly check the booking system as they may be able to change their existing appointment to a different test centre and time if a slot becomes available,” they added.
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