Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will make an assessment of the potential of garage and repair networks to offer accessible and affordable MOT and maintenance services for electric vehicles, including battery health testing.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has endorsed the Institute of the Motor Industry’s (IMI) TechSafe scheme, which helps to ensure technicians have the skills they need to safely repair an electric vehicle (EV) and allows consumers to access a register to find their nearest EV competent technician. According to the IMI, 64,700 technicians are already qualified to work on an EV. This represents 26% of all technicians in the UK.

At MOT vehicles are tested for safety critical components, such as tyres and brakes. The Government has not seen any evidence to suggest that EV battery health impacts road worthiness and therefore the need for testing during the MOT. In 2023, the Department for Transport published a call for evidence, which included questions related to EV testing. The Department continues to consider EV-specific items to improve the MOT test and expects to consult on these changes in the near future.