Some motorists in Northern Ireland are still facing long waits for their MOT test, despite a record number of tests being carried out over recent months.
The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) says it has steadily increased its vehicle testing capacity and is now exceeding pre-Covid levels after MOT tests were 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.
Read more: Latest on MOTs in NI as testing capacity now exceeding pre-Covid levels
New figures from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) show that from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2023, the DVA conducted 506,967 full vehicle tests, which is the highest number of tests ever recorded in a six-month period and over 22% more than the corresponding period in 2021/22.
The DVA has confirmed that as at 10am on 23 March 2023, just under 170,000 vehicles have a vehicle test booking appointment up to 30 June 2023 and approximately 49,000 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.
According to DfI, this increase in capacity has been achieved 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.
These measures are helping to reduce the time customers are waiting for a test, however, the DVA does not currently hold information to enable it to accurately report the average waiting times for vehicle tests, given that this position changes on a regular basis.
Cars are due their first MOT after four years. The combination of coronavirus restrictions and the January 2020 lift equipment crisis has meant MOT testing has been a chronic problem for both motorists and vehicle retailers in Northern Ireland for three years.
Belfast Live logged on to the DVA online booking system on Monday morning to check the current availability and found that the earliest dates being offered at some MOT centres Northern Ireland are in June and July, unless a cancellation appears.
A DfI spokesperson added: “The latest information on MOTs is available on NI Direct at A guide to booking your MOT/ vehicle test | nidirect and is also included as an advice note with every MOT Reminder Letter issued to their customers.
“The DVA’s advice to vehicle owners who require an MOT to tax their vehicle and cannot secure a date before their MOT expires is to book the earliest available appointment and keep checking the booking system for an earlier appointment.
“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.”
The PSNI has previously said it will not penalise drivers whose MOT has expired as long as they meet a number of criteria including that "a vehicle is roadworthy, has a forthcoming MOT test date and is not sorned (statutory off road notification)".
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