31st July 2022
Last year, 20% of vehicles in France failed their mandatory vehicle inspection (MOT) test.
In France, a vehicle ‘contrôle technique’ must be carried out every two years at an accredited control centre (centre de contrôle technique agréé).
The primary purposes of the inspection are vehicle safety and pollution control.
According to the agency charged with overseeing system - Union Technique de l'Automobile, du Motocycle et du Cycle (UTAC) - last year over 25 million mandatory inspection tests were carried out in one of the 6,554 control centres.
Over 4 million vehicles (19.9% of the total) failed the test, a figure slightly down on 2020, when over 21% of vehicles did not make the mark.
Over 95% of the failed tests concerned non-commercial vehicles owned by private owners.
The reasons for a failure by component were as follows:
| Component | Percentage Failures |
| Vehicle Identification | 0.98% |
| Brakes | 5.09% |
| Steering | 2.40% |
| Visibility | 2.85% |
| Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment | 8.83% |
| Axles, Wheels, Tyres and Suspension | 9.98% |
| Body Structures and Attachments | 3.69% |
| Other Equipment | 2.15% |
| Nuisances, Noise, Emissions | 7.29% |
The specific defects found were very diverse, but the highest level of failures were as follows:
- 4.74%: incorrect alignment of headlights;
- 3.15%: exceeding pollution levels;
- 3.00%: tyres seriously damaged;
- 2.53%: leaking exhaust system not permitting pollution test;
- 2.19%: excessive tyre wear.
- 2.05%: defective or missing light source: severely reduced visibility of brake lights.
In recent years, vehicles have been subject to a far more detailed examination, now involving 606 points of control.
In line with the common European standard, the control points are divided into those that are ‘critical’ and those that are major. Out of the 20% of vehicles that failed the test last year, less than 1% were due to critical failures.
Owners of vehicles that fail the test are given 2 months to rectify the fault and to return the vehicle for a 'contre-visite'. During this time it is still possible to drive the vehicle, but only provided a critical failure has not be identified.
At the present time there is no test for motorcycles, but it is anticipated they will be introduced next year.