The Government has revealed a shake-up of the MOT system but will keep the annual testing schedule after publishing VOSA data which shows more than a quarter of vehicles tested in 2010/11 had one or more car defects that were either missed by MOT test centres or incorrectly assessed.

To improve MOT test standards and customer confidence the Government will introduce a host of measures including; mystery shopping test centres, add mileage figures for past three years on MOT certificates and reveal VOSA data about testing standards.

The Government had been working toward a two-year MOT, but had come up against opposition from the motor industry and safety organisations.

The VOSA data also showed that the roadworthiness of one-in-eight cars was being incorrectly assessed by MOT test centres.

As a result, the Government will work with industry, motoring organisations and consumer groups to focus on the reliability and standards of garages.

The full Government statement of actions:
* Retain the existing rules on MOT test frequency since the evidence shows that vehicle defects are being missed and roadworthiness mis-assessed.
* Shine a light on the performance of MOT testing stations by releasing hitherto unpublished VOSA survey data on whether the sector is complying with test standards.
* Work with motoring organisations to find out what problems motorists experience and enable them to share examples of good customer service – in particular to find ways to make it easier for customers to give feedback on their experiences of garages in a way that others can see – potentially in the manner of existing online hotel and restaurant review websites.
* Encourage the take up of industry codes of practice – and expand them to include MOT testing – so that customers can find garages signed up to schemes delivering the highest standards and take action if they have not received the service they expect.
* Help motorists to spot “clocked” second hand vehicles, by changing MOT certificates so that they carry the last three years’ mileage information as well as the mileage on the day of the test, and encourage car buyers to check full MOT histories using the online MOT database.
* Arrange “mystery shopper” tests to help improve performance in addition to those already carried out by VOSA.