The MOT for motorcycles is once again at the center of the European debate. Although in countries like Spain, periodic inspections for motorcycles have been common and mandatory for years, in other EU countries there are still exceptions or alternative systems that allow this type of mandatory controls to be avoided.
That is what is currently on the table of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee, known as the TRAN committee, which has just approved a proposal that seeks to tighten and unify the technical criteria applied to motorcycles and scooters throughout the EU.
Of course, it is not yet a definitive rule. The text still must go through the plenary session of the European Parliament and subsequently return to the Council of the European Union, which could put an end to these aspirations, since at the time it showed its reservations about some of these measures.
One of the most important points of this reform is the elimination of the so-called “alternative measures.” Currently, some countries have sought ways to avoid making the unpopular MOT mandatory by applying other types of measures aimed at improving road safety. This is the case of countries such as Portugal, Ireland, Finland or the Netherlands, which until now have opted for models other than the mandatory periodic technical inspection for motorcycles.
The new European proposal wants to end that possibility and extend periodic inspections to motorcycles and scooters over 125 cc in all Member States. In addition, the text also contemplates including more clearly electric motorcycles of a certain power within these obligations, something that until now was not always defined in the same way depending on the country.
The annual MOT for old motorcycles is still on the table
Another aspect that reappears in the debate is the possibility of introducing annual inspections for vehicles more than ten years old. This idea was already raised months ago by the European Commission, although it ended up encountering a lot of opposition within the Council of the EU, to the point of being temporarily stopped.
But political tensions continue and in this case it could affect motorcycles in our country if it goes ahead. We must remember that in Spain, regardless of the age of the motorcycle, the MOT is passed every two years. The same does not happen with cars, which must pass it every year or vans, for example, which when the time comes, pass the inspection every six months.
How would the change of ITV affect Spain?
In the case of Spain, the impact of this possible reform would be relatively limited, at least in relation to the existence of ITV for motorcycles, since motorcycles over 125 cc have been subject to mandatory periodic inspections for years, and so have mopeds.
Where changes could come is in the technical part, the tests to be passed in these inspections. There is talk, especially, of inspections of electronic systems, emissions, advanced diagnosis or electric motorcycles.
For now, there is nothing official, the debate continues and if the proposals go ahead it will take some time to become a reality. What there is no doubt is that there is a certain part of the European Union that wants to harmonize MOTs for motorcycles and scooters.
A battle in which, despite what different studies say, the flag of safety is raised when it is proven that, on a motorcycle, the human and infrastructure factors play an overwhelmingly dominant role. But, of course, European politicians do not want to talk about infrastructures in poor condition, for whatever reason, lest the blanket be pulled…
