Petition · past parliament
Maintain the current first MOT date for cars at three years
Closed
2,251 signatures
What the petition asks
The current MOT system ensures vehicle defects are remedied quickly to ensure drivers’ and other road users’ safety. Around 17% of cars fail their first MOT on their initial attempt, so extending to four years will result in an extra 400,000 unsafe cars on the roads and risk higher accident rates.
In 2016, the UK saw a fall in the number of road deaths. Attributed to improved vehicle safety, the current three-year first MOT identifies potentially fatal vehicle defects, including 47,000 brake failures that were detected on three-year-old cars at their first MOT. The three-year MOT has proven to be an important safety milestone. In 2011, TRL research revealed motorists would fail to properly maintain their vehicles without the pressure of a MOT deadline.
Timeline
| 23 Mar 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 2 May 2017 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
2,251
Status
Closed
Opened
23 Mar 2017
Closed
2 May 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.