Drivers could be allowed to get a new MOT on their cars every two years rather than annually under cost of living plans discussed by the Government.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is said to have raised the idea at Cabinet after Boris Johnson asked ministers to drum up ideas to help hard-pressed Brits - without any extra Government spending.
The move would save drivers up to £54.85 for a standard car and £29.65 for a regular motorcycle every two years if it was implemented.
The measly saving would be just £27.43 a year for a car - at a time when millions of Brits face a £693 annual hike to their energy bills.
Concerns were immediately raised about safety and whether it would cost motorists more in the long run by storing up repairs.
Downing Street said "every possible option" was being considered when grilled about the idea.
The Prime Minister's desperate push for cost-free measures to help families comes ahead of next week's local elections amid increasing Tory jitters about the cost-of-living crisis.
Ministers today discussed a raft of ideas that will be worked through at a ‘Domestic and Economic Strategy committee’, to be convened by Boris Johnson in the coming weeks.
No10 was unable to say what those ideas were or when they might be introduced amid reports that ministers could slash tariffs on food imports, branded goods like designer handbags and refined oil products.
The PM's spokesman also hinted at future help on childcare.
Asked about the MOT plan, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: “I’ve seen a few points raised or reported as to what may or may not have been discussed in Cabinet.
"I don’t intend to get into everything that’s been reported. I think it’s important this sort of policy work is able to be done properly before being set out.”
He added: “We are considering every possible option to ensure people can keep more of their money.”
But the spokesman made it clear there was no new money to alleviate the crisis until a further financial announcement from the Chancellor.
He said: "Certainly, the budgets for departments are set and there are no plans to go outside what's been agreed."
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “Though well intended, moving the yearly £55 spend on an MOT to every two years could make costs worse for drivers with higher repair bills, make our roads more dangerous and would put jobs in the garage industry at risk.
“Only recently the government stepped away from switching the MOT to every two years on the grounds of road safety, while AA polling shows overwhelming support from drivers who like the security that an annual health check provides.
“The MOT now highlights major and dangerous defects too, showing how important it is to keep cars in a safe condition.
“Rather than fiddling at the edges, drivers would rather see pump price transparency to revive competition on the forecourts or expanding Park & Ride schemes so drivers can avoid higher inner-city driving costs.”
Anna Turley, a former Labour MP who previously worked as a civil servant, tweeted: "Remember this idea being put in front of ministers when I worked at the Cabinet Office 15 years ago!!
"Bad policy then (risk to safety), bad policy now.
"This is a government with no ideas rooting desperately around in the bottom of the ‘rejected bad policy’ drawer."
Demos chief executive Polly Mackenzie, who worked for ex-Deputy PM Nick Clegg during the coalition years, said: "This is one of my favourite policy debates because under the standard way of measuring regulatory impact it is actually a net cost.
"Garages get less business. The regulatory savings accrue to consumers who’s regulatory burdens don’t qualify for being measured."
