European Union The EU Directive 2014/45 of April 3, 2014 mandates all member states to carry out periodic safety and emission (
roadworthiness) inspections for most types of motor vehicles including passenger cars, light and heavy goods vehicles, trailers, tractors with designed speed exceeding 40 km/h and, from 1 January 2022, motorcycles with
engine displacement over 125 cm3. It also sets minimum requirements for those inspections and their intervals. For vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and tractors the first inspection shall occur no later than 4 years after first registration and at a frequency of up to 2 years thereafter. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes are mandated to undergo inspections no later than 1 year after first registration and every year thereafter.
Austria n
decal, inspection due July 2004 In Austria, all vehicles must undergo a "
Wiederkehrende Begutachtung nach § 57a KFG" (recurring inspection under section 57a of the motor vehicle statute). A
decal is placed on the vehicle's windscreen (usually the upper left-hand corner as seen from outside the vehicle), hence the inspection itself is colloquially referred to as "
Pickerl" (literally: "little sticker"). The color of the decal is white for vehicles with a
catalytic converter, green for vehicles without one and red for historic registered cars. Punch holes indicate the month and year that the next inspection is due; the month is based on the first registration of the car. The actual inspection can be carried out one month in advance of or up to four months after the date indicated on the decal; the vehicle remains road-legal during that time. Unless the inspection is overdue, as just described, the roadworthiness certificate is transferable, so that a potential new owner will get a new decal with the same date, but the corrected license plate number upon registration of the vehicle. However, the latest official inspection report has to be presented for this purpose to the authority issuing the new registration documents and license plates. The first inspection of a passenger car is required after three years; another one two years later; and thereafter passenger cars must pass the official inspection annually to remain road-legal. Historic registered cars have an inspection period of two years. Heavy trucks and motorcycles must undergo annual inspections from the very first year. Inspections are carried out by licensed garages and by Austria's two major automobile clubs. The Austrian motor vehicle inspection covers both vehicle safety standards and emissions standards.
Belgium In Belgium, a vehicle inspection is known as an
autokeuring (Dutch) or
contrôle technique (French). All cars over four years old must be tested annually, and before selling them on the second-hand market. This annual period may be extended to two years if the following apply: the vehicle passes the inspection with a green certificate (see below); the vehicle has covered less than 100,000 km; the vehicle has been tested within its date limit and is less than six years old. Commercial vehicles must undergo an annual test, immediately after the first registration. Cars that pass the inspection receive a green certificate, which must be carried in the vehicle at all times along with other required documentation. An inspection has three possible outcomes: • If the car is approved, the owner gets a green card, possibly noting some small attention points. • If the vehicle failed the inspection, a red card is given, which allows the owner to repair the car during the next two weeks, but does not prohibit use of the car in the meantime. • In the worst case, the car is not allowed on the road anymore, and has to be repaired immediately. Receiving a red card is not uncommon for older cars, so people often have to go two or more times to pass. Vehicle inspection centers are private companies, and can be found throughout Belgium. A vehicle owner may choose their preferred inspection center; however, if the vehicle fails inspection at one center, it must return to that same center for a retest within the two-week deadline. If it goes to any other center, the entire inspection will be repeated instead of only the failure conditions. Vehicles undergo a series of tests, including exhaust emissions, lights, suspension, brakes, tires, and checks for impairing vehicle body damage and rust, and a strict control of the required vehicle documents. The set of tests performed depends on the vehicle's class (such as passenger car, truck or
classic car).
Bulgaria All cars must undergo an annual test. This test is conducted at accredited garages. This test is rather basic with only the brakes, lights and emissions being tested. Initial test is conducted in case of first registration and every change of registration in the traffic police stations (KAT). Cars newer than six years pass the test once every two years. Taxis and buses must be checked at every six months.
Croatia The National programme of road transport safety of the Republic of Croatia 2011-2020 () treats vehicle inspections as an important area of prevention of traffic accidents, and as a vessel for regular financing of road safety regulations. The annual vehicle inspections in Croatia () typically find unacceptable technical faults in about one fifth of all vehicles (). Based on the Law of Road Transport Safety, vehicles are inspected in specialized shops (, lit. technical inspection station) as a precondition of registration, which is then finalized by the
Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Finland , Finland Finland has a long tradition of vehicle inspection, dating back to year 1917. Vehicle inspection was initially carried by cities and provincial inspectors but starting from year 1968 the inspection moved to national governing body of road vehicle administration known as Autorekisterikeskus. In 1994 the vehicle inspection was opened for competition and in 1996 Autorekisterikeskus was split as administrative body Ajoneuvohallintokeskus (AKE) and inspection company Suomen Autokatsastus Oy. Until 2019 it was Liikenteen Turvallisuusvirasto Trafi and nowadays joined Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, the successor of Ajoneuvohallintokeskus since beginning of the 2010, governs the inspection companies and keeps track of inspection quality and the inspections are carried by private companies. During the years, the inspection procedures and facilities have improved greatly and nowadays the quality of inspection is on such level that mechanical failures as immediate cause for fatal crashes in whole country are minimal. In Finland, the "Määräaikaiskatsastus" (periodic inspection) is required for all passenger cars, vans, trucks, ATVs and for trailers with maximum structural weight of more than 750 kilograms. Inspection interval depends on vehicle class and usage. For privately used passenger car or van, inspection must be carried after four years, then every other year counting from the specified date of first deployment and every year after tenth year. If there is no specified date of first deployment (for instance 00.00.1987) the time of inspection is determined by the last number of license plate. The inspection period also varies depending on vehicle class and usage but for privately used passenger cars and vans the length of the period is four months preceding the date specified in date of first deployment or four months preceding the last date of inspection specified by the license plate number. The periodic inspection includes verification of vehicle register information (VIN, taxes, insurance), a test drive, brake testing, inspection of lights and compulsory equipment, superficial inspection for visibility and handling hindrances and bodywork, undercarriage inspection for suspension parts and corrosion and emission measurements (requirements vary depending on propellant and date of first deployment). The emission measurement can be taken on a registered repair shop prior to the inspection. If done so, a proper measurement certificate must be shown at inspection. Upon passed inspection, a new "Part one" of registration certificate is printed and handed to customer among with inspection report. If inspection fails, the faults found during the inspection must be repaired. Vehicle needs to be shown at inspection station for "Jälkitarkastus" (recheck) within one month of the inspection. Customer may use different inspection station for this.
France Vehicle testing has been mandatory in France since 1992. The first inspection (
Contrôle Technique) is carried out after four years then subsequently every two years. A blue and white
CT sticker affixed inside the windscreen indicates when the next test is due. A less than 6 month valid
CT is required prior to transfer of ownership. Inspections are performed by privately owned stations certified by the government. Since May 2018 the number of checkpoints has been increased to 133 points and a vehicle with a critical failure has to be sent to a garage within 24 hours. Vintage cars are also controlled but their checks are adapted to their abilities at time of production. For instance, their pollution level is not controlled. The starting date of the technical inspection of motorcycles is set for April 1, 2024.
Germany Passenger cars must pass a safety and emission inspection after three years for new cars, and then every two years. Heavy duty vehicles need to be inspected every year, motorcycles every two years. The inspection can be performed by various organizations, such as
TÜV,
DEKRA, KÜS, GTÜ. After a vehicle has passed the inspection, a safety inspection decal showing the month of expiry is placed on the rear
license plate (the emission inspection decal was placed on the front license plate until it was phased out in 2010 and integrated into the safety inspection). The colour of the decal changes every year in a six-year cycle (orange, blue, yellow, brown, pink, green). The decal is placed with the number of the expiration month pointing to the top and there is a black marker around the 12. This means that the expiry month can also be recognized from a distance: the colour of the decal indicates the year and the black marker the expiry month, like the hour hand of a clock.
Greece In Greece every passenger vehicle is required to undergo an inspection after four years from purchase (if new) and then every two years. Taxis, learner vehicles and heavy transport vehicles must undergo an inspection every year. Inspection centers can be either public or private companies. Private vehicle technical control centres (P-VTCC or I-KTEO in Greek) had to be accredited according to ISO 17020 standard. This requirement changed and P-VTCCs must be certified according to ISO 9001:2008 standard. After a vehicle has passed the inspection, a safety inspection decal showing the month of expiry is placed on the rear license plate.
Hungary In Hungary every vehicle is required to be tested (technical test,
Műszaki vizsga) for road worthiness and emission. In case of passenger cars the first inspection is after four years for new vehicles, and every two years afterwards. Inspection decals are placed on the rear license plate, and it is also documented in the vehicle's registration document. Recently checks are recorded electronically and stickers are no longer used.
Ireland In Ireland, the National Car Test (NCT) is required for cars four or more years of age to be inspected for various items, such as brakes, lighting, bodywork condition, emissions, etc. A square certificate which must be displayed on the windscreen is issued to cars that pass the test. The certificate is valid for two years and then every one year after the car has reached 10 years in age, after which the car must then be retested. A Certificate of Roadworthiness is required for goods vehicles, or vehicles carrying more than eight passengers (buses). This is commonly referred to as a "DOE" cert (after the
Department of the Environment, which at the time administered the tests) and the test is carried out in approved garages.
Italy Since 1997, any vehicle with a gross weight of under 3.5
tonnes, including motorcycles and mopeds, must have their first inspection, called
revisione, after four years from the date of first registration, and then every two years. Exceptions are made for special vehicles like buses, lorries, taxicabs and ambulances, which are inspected every year. The inspection can be done by any Italian DMV office (
Ufficio della Motorizzazione Civile - UMC) or by one of the nearly 8500 privately owned authorized centers located around the country. The inspection focuses on safety, and it is performed similarly to other EU countries, checking tires, brakes, lights, horn, undercarriage, rust, suspension parts, noise and exhaust pollution for either gas/LPG/CNG and Diesel engines. After a successful test, the center will print out a sticker saying "
esito regolare", which has to be stuck behind the
vehicle title (
carta di circolazione), bearing the date of the inspection, the DMV/center's own identity code, the expiry month/year and an antifraud unique code. If a vehicle fails the inspection, there are two options: • if the inspection outcome is "
ripetere" ("repeat inspection"), because of minor and non-threatening failures, the vehicle has to be re-inspected within one month, with proof of the whole repair process such as an
invoice • if the inspection outcome is "
sospeso" ("banned from public roads"), because of major and dangerous failures, such as high exhaust pollution, corrosive rust going through any structural part of the body and/or chassis etc., the vehicle is only allowed to be brought in the nearest workshop, the same day of the failed inspection, and can be re-inspected with proof of the whole repair process such as an invoice. The inspection fee is €45 or €66.88, depending on whether the vehicle is inspected at the DMV (€45) or at authorized centers (€80). The fee is doubled in case of re-inspecting the vehicle after a failed test.
Luxembourg Since 1955, Luxembourg has had a mandatory annual test known as the "Contrôle Technique." It can be taken at one of 5 test centres or by approved partner garages.
Netherlands In the Netherlands the "
Algemene Periodieke Keuring" (
APK) or General Periodical Inspection, introduced in 1985, is mandatory for vehicles aged between 3 and 50 years. New petrol cars are inspected after 4 years, then 6 and 8 years, and after that annually (up to year 30). Diesel cars are inspected after 3 years and after that annually. The inspection of vehicles from 30 to 49 years old is biennial for all cars, vehicles older than 50 years are exempt. The inspection includes conforming to safety and emission standards in force in the year of first introduction of the car. Registration is all digital and publicly accessible on the
Rijksdienst Wegverkeer (RDW) website; There are no longer visible stickers or
decals on the vehicle, and since July 2008 the paper inspection report no longer needs to be carried in the car. The vehicle owner will receive notification for renewal before expiration. Owners of a vehicle without valid inspection will be fined automatically unless the vehicle's registration is suspended. Inspections are done in licensed workshops that also do repairs if vehicles do not pass the APK. This may lead to a
conflict of interest. Inspection stations are subject to random checks by the RDW.
Poland In Poland there's an annual inspection requirement for most vehicles. New passenger car vehicles (of age four or less) have to be inspected according to the following intervals 3-2-1 years. Inspections are performed by accredited garages. The inspection includes checking of main car systems like brakes, suspension, lights and steering, as well as emission and presence of mandatory equipment. An additional, separate inspection is required for cars that are running on
autogas. Pass of inspection is confirmed in registration certificates. When a car does not pass the inspection, the owner is requested to fix the cause and then pass subsequent inspection. A registration certificate may be also revoked in case the vehicle is in fatal technical condition. Driving a car without valid inspection is subject to a fine.
Romania Romanian vehicles must pass a periodic inspection between six months and two years depending on the age of the car, which is called "Inspecție Tehnică Periodică" (ITP)
Spain Spanish vehicles are required to undergo an
Inspección Técnica de Vehículos, better known as the
ITV. Private civilian vehicles must be inspected after four years from the date of their first registration and afterwards must be inspected every two years until ten years; afterwards, they must be inspected annually. An inspection sticker with year and month indication is placed on the upper right inside of the vehicle's windshield, and yearly change the colour in order to make control easier. Inspections are done in official independent ITV stations.
Slovakia Slovakia requires safety inspection
technická kontrola and emission inspection
emisná kontrola every two years for passenger cars. New passenger cars have to obtain their first roadworthiness certificate after four years. Heavy duty vehicles need to be presented to the safety inspection every year. The safety inspection and emission inspection decals are placed on the front glass (right down).
Sweden ,
Dalarna county In Sweden
Svensk Bilprovning AB had a monopoly on vehicle inspections until June 30, 2010. In 2021 the five largest companies, accounting for more than 99% of the market shares, were Svensk Bilprovning,
Besikta,
Opus,
Carspect and
DEKRA. For cars classified as
veteran/classic cars (currently occurring when the car reaches age 30), inspection is every 2 years. For modern cars the first inspection is after the vehicle becomes 3 years old, which after it has to be inspected after 2 years. From that moment an inspection has to be done every 14 months.
Norway In Norway, the vehicle inspection is called "Periodisk Kjøretøykontroll", which translates to "Periodic vehicle inspection", although it is commonly referred to as "EU kontroll", for its origin from the European Union. When a car is four years old it must undergo its first inspection. After this, inspections will be required every second year. Buses, taxicabs and ambulances are inspected every year. The inspection focuses on safety and emission. After the inspection is completed, the owner will be given a check list with errors that must be repaired before the vehicle can pass. If the car only have errors marked with 1, or none errors at all, the car will pass immediately. The errors are rated depending on how dangerous they are, with the grades of 1, 2 and 3. Errors marked with 1 will not require a re-inspection. Errors marked with 2 will require a re-inspection, but the owner can use the car until the inspection deadline. Errors marked with 3 are very rare, and prohibits the user from using the car until those errors are repaired. The inspection cost is usually between 75 and 130
US dollars (400-1000
Norwegian Kroner). Vehicles may be inspected at garages approved by the
Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA). Without a passed inspection, the license plates will be withdrawn, and the car will no longer be street legal. The police and the NPRA are checking license plates at a regular interval to check if the car has passed the inspection, if the road tax is paid and the car is insured.
Russia In Russia all vehicles must pass a periodic inspection ensuring their road worthiness that includes adherence to the respective regulations. To pass the inspection the vehicle must not exceed the mandated emission level (currently
Euro-3), the brakes must have no leaks and the brake forces must be symmetrical, steering slip must not exceed the mandated parameters (from 10° for cars to 25° for heavy trucks), all lights must provide the required color, aim and brightness of the emitted light, and the vehicle must be equipped with a
first aid kit,
fire extinguisher and emergency stop sign. The windshield must have a functional washer, and while window tinting is allowed, including the blinds on the windshield and rear window, they must pass the required amount of light. To pass the inspection a driver must get to a police vehicle registration center or an authorized service station and present a vehicle for inspection. If the vehicle passes, then the driver receives a certificate of worthiness that must be presented to an insurance company to obtain the compulsory
vehicle insurance. The lack of a valid insurance certificate or driving with an elapsed one is subject to heavy fines and eventual revocation of the driver's license. The test periodicity varies with the type of vehicle. Commercial buses (defined as vehicles that carry >8 persons aside from a driver) and oversize/dangerous cargo trucks must be inspected each six months, heavy trucks (>3.5 tons loaded weight) are inspected annually, while the new cars, motorcycles and light trucks (< 3.5 tons) must be first inspected after three years, then bi-annually until they are seven years old, after which the inspections become annual.
Turkey Until 2008 the vehicle inspection was limited to administrative checks (whether all taxes have been paid) and a visual check if the car matches the documents. In August 2005 the Turkish government decided to introduce a vehicle inspection scheme following the directive 96/96/EC of the European Union. Since there was no technical equipment available for real roadworthiness tests a contract was laid out with the German
TÜV SÜD that was presenting itself for the task in syndication with two Turkish corporations. The
TÜV Türk trust is given a monopoly on car inspection for 20 years. Beginning with 2009 the TÜV test is mandatory for all cars with the inspection scheme to follow the German inspection scheme - however there is a transition period up to 2013 where established TÜV regulations are not followed as strictly as in mainland Europe. The shift in vehicle inspection policies is nevertheless rather sharp - since the old vehicle inspection service was strickened with corruption no staff members were taken over to the TÜV Süd, the internal inspection protocol is stricter than in Germany as to prevent any corruption. The introduction of the TÜV was accompanied with a strong propaganda program to agitate the requirement for a modern inspection scheme (e.g. the number of fatal road accidents was three times as high as in mainland Europe despite most of the country to be very rural). Additionally, it is expected that the connection with the
German Turks allows for most citizens to have some knowledge how to cope with the TÜV inspection scheme.
United Kingdom The
MOT test (from Ministry of Transport, the former name of the
Department for Transport) is a mandatory annual test of safety, road worthiness and exhaust emissions for vehicles over three years old. It is enforced by linking the official MOT database to the payment of
Vehicle Excise Duty tax. Prior to November 2014 a tax disc had to be displayed on the vehicle. After the first MOT (when the vehicle is three years old) the owner has to get the vehicle tested every 12 months (unlike in most of the European Union, where a test is required every 24 months after the vehicle is four years old). A test can be made up to 28 days before the expiry of the previous test without affecting the annual test date, allowing the next test to be up to 13 months later.
Isle of Man In the
Isle of Man there are no routine inspections for motorcycles or private cars. Rental cars over three years old, goods vehicles, buses and taxis require an annual inspection. Inspections are also required if a vehicle over three years old is imported; this was introduced to prevent vehicles that had failed inspection regimes elsewhere being moved to the island. Inspections are also required if a vehicle has been off the road (not registered and insured) for more than two years. ==Oceania==