The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has begun the nationwide introduction of a new measure that will require MOT testing centres to photograph a vehicle during its MOT examination. The new "Photos at Test" initiative is intended to help combat absent vehicle fraud, commonly referred to as "ghost MOTs", where a vehicle receives an MOT certificate without ever being physically present at the testing facility.
National rollout begins
The DVSA said the national implementation, which commenced on August 3, followed two successful pilot schemes involving more than 300 garages throughout Britain, with over 60,000 vehicle photographs uploaded and "overwhelmingly positive feedback from participating testers and garage owners". The measure will become compulsory in due course following amendments to the MOT testing guide, MOT testing manuals and DVSA operating instructions.
Grant Thunder, the DVSA's head of MOT, said: "The MOT is designed to help keep road users safe by helping ensure vehicles are roadworthy and environmental standards are maintained. Photos at test will help prevent fraud, provide reassurance to motorists and protect the reputations of hard-working and honest MOT testers across the country.
"This change adds to the range of intelligence and evidence gathering processes used by DVSA to tackle MOT fraud, and will help us to take action against anyone who attempts to undermine the integrity of the MOT or compromise road safety."
Why the change is needed
Each year, millions of drivers depend on the MOT scheme to guarantee that vehicles on Britain's roads comply with safety and environmental standards. Nevertheless, the DVSA stated that "a small minority of individuals seek to abuse the system by issuing MOT certificates for vehicles that have not attended a test station".
Fraudulent MOT certificates permit potentially dangerous vehicles to stay on Britain's roads, placing road users in jeopardy and eroding trust in the MOT scheme, it explained. The new measure is designed to make this form of fraud considerably more difficult to carry out, helping to safeguard honest garages, responsible testers and the driving public.
Pilot results
The DVSA has conducted two stages of testing prior to rolling out the feature nationally. The initial stage involved 62 garages and resulted in over 13,000 images being uploaded, averaging between 450 and 500 images daily.
Upload success rates hit 90% in the busiest garages during the opening week, with numerous garages recording success rates of between 99% and 100%, it confirmed. The second stage extended the trial to a further 244 garages and produced more than 47,998 additional images being uploaded, with an overall success rate of 92%.
More than half of the participating users said they were very satisfied with the process, describing it as "easy", "painless" and "stress-free", according to the DVSA. The trials also showed that the feature had little impact on testing times, with initial tests continuing to take around 40 minutes and retests only marginally longer, it added.
Impact on drivers
For drivers, the new procedure will not alter the way they book or attend an MOT. The photograph will simply serve as a record confirming that the vehicle was physically present in the testing bay at the time of the examination, the DVSA said.
The images are securely stored within the MOT Testing service and are used exclusively for verification purposes by the DVSA. They will not appear in any public MOT history service. The photographs cannot be linked to a vehicle owner and contain no personal data. The overwhelming majority of garages and MOT testers carry out their duties with professionalism and integrity, the DVSA noted, adding: "Photos at Test will help protect their reputation while providing greater assurance to motorists that vehicles receiving an MOT certificate have genuinely been presented for testing."
Further guidance on Photos at Test, including frequently asked questions and supporting materials, is available on GOV.UK.
