On Tuesday, Transport Committee MEPs adopted Parliament’s draft position on the revision of the EU rules on periodic roadworthiness tests for vehicles and roadside inspections for commercial vehicles, by 30 votes to 11, and with two abstentions.
Inspections abroad
To facilitate the free movement of people within the EU, the new rules would allow the technical inspection of a car to be conducted in an EU country other than its country of registration. This would result in an EU temporary roadworthiness certificate, valid for six months, while the next inspection would have to take place in the EU country where vehicle was registered. MEPs want this possibility to apply to vans too.
Frequency of checks should not increase
The Transport Committee voted against the Commission’s proposal to shorten technical inspection intervals for cars and vans older than ten years from once every two years to annually, as they did not consider the measure to be proportionate or based on sufficient evidence that it would reduce accidents. MEPs also stressed that EU countries can already impose shorter inspection intervals.
Updating the test checklist
Cars’ advanced driver assistance systems, such as airbags and automatic emergency brakes, are not currently subject to regular inspections. MEPs agreed they should be part of periodic inspections to ensure that they deliver the expected safety benefits. In addition, new test items relevant to battery electric and hybrid vehicles should also be part of inspections.
MEPs support the proposal to include particle number (PN) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) measurements in periodic roadworthiness testing to improve air quality, albeit on a voluntary basis, leaving it to EU countries to decide on the extent of such testing.
They also advocate for periodic testing of whether a vehicle has complied with an outstanding mandatory recall, failing which it should not pass the inspection.
Combating tampering
To tackle odometer fraud and tampering on the second-hand car market, MEPs support a new requirement for vehicle repair garages to record cars’ and vans’ odometer readings and for manufacturers to enter readings from connected vehicles into a national database. However, to avoid additional work for small and medium-sized companies, MEPs only want this requirement to kick in if the repair takes more than one hour.
Motorcycles
MEPs also back a proposal to remove the current flexibility for the periodic testing of heavy motorcycles (over 125 cc), to make it obligatory. They also support the extension of roadworthiness checks to electrically powered heavy motorcycles.
Roadside inspections
The current rules provide for an EU-level target of 5% of buses and trucks checked via technical roadside inspections. MEPs agree that the 5% should be a national target instead, and want roadside inspections to be extended to vans.
MEPs also agree that roadside inspections should also screen cars, motorcycles, vans, trucks and buses for their polluting emissions and require potentially high-emitting vehicles to undergo further technical inspections. EU countries could use the same system to tackle noise emissions.
Quote
Rapporteur Jens Gieseke (EPP, DE) said: “Our aim is to make European roads safer and inspections more efficient, while stepping up the fight against fraud – without placing an additional burden on consumers and businesses. No annual general inspections for vehicles over ten years old and no additional testing requirements for light commercial vehicles: this sends a clear signal of relief for consumers and, in particular, for small and medium-sized enterprises.”
Next steps
By 32 votes to 10, and with one abstention, MEPs also decided to start talks with EU countries on the final shape of the legislation. This decision needs a green light from Parliament as a whole, scheduled to meet in mid-May.
Background
Last year, the Commission presented its roadworthiness package, seeking to update minimum standards for vehicle inspections, vehicle registration documents, and roadside inspections. MEPs have already confirmed their position on one part of the package, vehicle registration documents, in April.
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