East Anglian garage calls for further MOT extension

With data showing that 93 per cent of garages planned to remain open during lockdown 2.0, it is a minority view, but one Suffolk garage is appealing for another MOT extension similar to what was enacted during the first lockdown in spring 2020.

Mattock’s Motors owners Richard and Joy Mattock have been providing MOTs to customers in Boxford for the last 20 years, but in an interview published on ITV.com on 16 January as the MOT boom caused by the first lockdown-related extension drew to a close, Mattock’s Motors told ITV Anglia the pressure to fulfil MOTs is causing “unnecessary interactions” between customers and their mechanics.

Joy Mattock believes if it was unsafe for MOTs to continue during the pandemic last year, then it should be considered unsafe now. “We had a gentleman this morning who’s 85, he had to wait outside for an hour while his MOT was done because he’s got to go tomorrow for his vaccination. And his MOT runs out today, that’s all-unnecessary interactions.”

And with the country back in lockdown and with high transmission rates, Joy Mattock says the MOT extension should be reintroduced: “It was safe last year and now we’ve got much higher transmission rates now, it doesn’t seem to make sense. They’ve got the technology to review it week on week, so they could do it [extend] say for four weeks and then review it weekly thereafter. If we can put men on the moon we can extend MOTs.” Another area of concern is that the Department of Transport suggests garages pick up cars from people who are shielding to perform MOTs, something Joy Mattock isn’t comfortable with.

However, based on the evidence of the proportion of garages that opened during lockdowns 2.0 and 3.0 as well as the lobbying efforts of industry associations and the government’s current direction of political will, it is highly unlikely that we will see a further MOT extension in 2021.