http://good-garage-guide.honestjohn.co.uk/mot/daihatsu/copen From the information I take it there's less than 2000 Copens in the UK!
So how does it work in UK? If you fail, you fix the car as many times as needed until it passes, right?
just did a search and found this site http://howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/daihatsu_copen at end of last year there were 2,081 taxed and 85 SORN (i.e. registered but not on the road). click on 'New Registrations' for how many were sold each year; peaked at 657 in 2004, mine is 1 of 325 in 2007, in 2011 there were only 2 (no, that's not a typo)
dwayner So how does this MOT thing work in the UK? in australia, you just renew your registration each year - they post out the sticker for your window, and thats all - until next year.
In UK any car over 3years old must be MOT tested annualy. This is a test for safety and environment so covers things like corrosion, mechanical condition / operation of brakes, safety belts, lights, wipers, etc, etc plus an emissions test.
dwayner wow, thats pretty severe. I wonder how many cars in australia woud pass if we had that here. As long as you keep up the registration which is a one-off payment each year, your car is registered, and doesnt need to be tested at all. They actually send you out the rego sticker with your renewel notice, and you pay over the phone or online.
Here in New Zealand, we have the Warrant of Fitness (WOF) which is similar to the UK MOT. A car less than 3 years old needs to have a WOF every 12 months. After 3 years, it has to be done every 6 months. I'm not looking forward to my Copen reaching 3 years old!
Here in South Africa, we have the "roadworthy test" - that only needs to be done once when you buy the car - then the next owner gets to do it when you sell it. Having lived in the UK and cursed vehemently about the pettiness of the MOT, I now see its value - you should see some of the clunkers which drive around (perfectly legally) here! Some of the cars here are beyond repair (economical or otherwise) and should just be shot instead Oh and car insurance is optional here...
We have a similar test here in Taiwan, from the fifth year onwards, all cars need to go through a test annually: emission, brakes and lights are the major points, also, they check if you have illegally changed the engine, or added any other non-certified accessories. These tests on motor vehicles really helped improving pollution a lot.
I notice the biggest reason for MOT failure is visibility! Anyone got idea of what these were or had you MOT failure because of it? or is it things like cracked or dirty windscreen? I was imagining a 6 ft 6 MOT tester bent up double in the car
If you think the UK MOT is bad, you should see the Irish NCT. Every car over 4 years of age has to go through it, and lasts for 2 years until the car turns 10. After 10 years, it's every year. Only cars before 1980, on an island not connected by road to mainland Ireland, or belonging to the armed forces, police and fire service, are exempt. http://www.ncts.ie/NCT Manual Revise May 2012.pdf is what is tested.
