Unveiled as part of yesterday's summer Budget by the chancellor George Osborne was the announcement that MOTs in the UK are to be extended from three to four years for all new cars.
Described as a nod to improvements in manufacturer quality in recent years, insurer Warranty Direct has warned the move could have a detrimental impact on road safety in the years ahead.
Warranty Direct managing director David Gerrans has argued the decision to extend MOTs in this manner will have far-reaching impact for drivers up and down the country, as while it is true that many cars are now more reliable than ever before, there remain certain items that continue to wear at faster rates.
"Extending the deadline for the first MOT of new cars from three to four years will only encourage motorists to postpone necessary maintenance work for anything up to an extra year, potentially putting the driver and other motorists at risk," he stated.
Mr Gerrans added that the typical first MOT failure rate for the UK currently stands at 20 per cent, but this is likely to increase considerably following this extension. In addition, it is likely that car owners will find that when it comes time to take their first MOT, the list of articles that need attention or replacing will also be much longer.
And perhaps more worrying is the fact that most vehicles will require the replacement of some important items, such as tyres and brakes, before their fourth birthday, but under this new system there is likely to be a large proportion of road users that fail to do this, as they are not being prompted by an MOT.