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A new European directive calling for almost all pre-1984 classics to be made exempt from MoT tests has provoked an angry response from industry experts.
Classic car specialists told CCFS that the newly agreed European Roadworthiness Directive, which argues that vehicles over 30 years old should be exempted from safety testing, will put drivers’ safety at risk. 
Malcolm Gammons, managing director of Hertfordshire-based MG specialist Brown & Gammons, said: “The lunatics have escaped. We don’t even agree with pre-1960 classics being exempt from testing, as no one benefits. 
“We even had one customer in recently saying that his car wasn’t handling very well and we discovered the reason – he had 42-year-old tyres!” 
The new EU agreement suggests that cars which are at least 30 years old, out of production and running to their original specification should be exempted from roadworthiness testing. 
However, because the rules are an EU directive – rather then an EU regulation, which must be followed to the letter – it is up to the UK Government how it chooses to implement them. A spokesman for the Department for Transport said: “We are planning to consult nearer to implementation of the Directive and will of course be seeking the involvement of stakeholders with an interest in classic cars as part
of that process.” 
If the EU Roadworthiness Directive was implemented now it would bring the MoT exemption date forward from 1960 to 1984, and mean thousands more classics would no longer be required to pass an annual MoT test.
Stephen Hill, director of Thornfalcon Garage, which offers owners of pre-1960 classics a voluntary MoT-style safety check, said: “Exemption from MoT should stop at 1960. Cars of this age are owned by enthusiasts and tend not to be used every day.
“If exemption is extended to 1984 there will be people paying £2-300 and just driving away up the road without having to worry about it being MoT’d.”
The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs said they had given the news a cautious welcome, because they were in a position to discuss with the Government how the new directive could be interpreted in the UK.
A spokesman for the organisation said: “The task now is to work with our national Government to ensure the most favourable outcome to the interpretation of the legislation.
The current MoT exemption for classics was brought in across Great Britain in November 2012, with Northern Ireland following suit last September. The UK government has until April 2018 to implement the EU Directive.