Certain cars will soon be inspected more often, if TÜV and the EU have their way. The annual technical inspection is to come for vehicles that have exceeded an age.
Every year for a general inspection (MOT)? In an interview, TÜV Süd Managing Director Jürgen Wolz has indicated that certain used cars should be put to the test more often in the interests of road safety. The EU Commission is also discussing whether more frequent inspections of older cars could reduce the number of traffic fatalities and injuries.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, more than 49 million cars roll on our roads. On average, the vehicles are over ten years old, so will every rust, every creaking and every flashing indicator light mean additional stress and costs for many motorists with the next technical inspection breathing down their necks? What exactly the TÜV and the EU are in favour of and which cars would be affected, you can read in this text.
As is well known, one of the prohibited things when driving a car is driving a vehicle if the technical inspection has been missed at the appropriately recognized inspection centers such as TÜV, GTÜ and DEKRA. The Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO) currently stipulate that a car must undergo a general inspection for the first time after three years, and then every two years. Without punishment, it is not possible to exceed these deadlines.
In an exchange with the automotive magazine Auto Motor und Sport, the TÜV Süd Managing Director explained in December 2024 that something could change in the inspection intervals. There are constant innovations around cars, with the turn of the year alone bringing movement in topics such as driver’s licenses, gasoline prices and tolls. As far as the general inspection is concerned, many vehicle owners are likely to have listened attentively when it became known that even minor defects could soon result in a mandatory follow-up inspection.
By the way: Since 1967, there has been an undisputed leader in the annual ADAC breakdown statistics.
As far as the technical inspection is concerned, the requirements for new cars and used cars in order to continue to be roadworthy differ only in the aforementioned inspection interval.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, a total of around 31.1 million general inspections were carried out in 2024. In almost a third of the cases, there were complaints, so on average the affected vehicles had 2.7 defects found. According to the ADAC, the range of defect classes ranges from “minor defects” to “unsafe for traffic”. If “minor defects” are eliminated promptly, you will receive the inspection sticker – in the other cases of defects not without passing the inspection.
By the way: Not only technical defects are dangerous in road traffic, but also clothing behind the wheel is not always harmless.
According to TÜV Süd Managing Director Jürgen Wolz, the service company is in favour of “an annual technical inspection for vehicles that are more than ten years old”. Especially if used cars are not “regularly maintained”, the defect rate is “significantly higher”.
However, shorter inspection intervals for older vehicles are not only being discussed at the federal level – similar proposals also exist at EU level. As the ADAC reported, the European Commission also wants to introduce an annual mandatory inspection for cars older than ten years. The aim is to increase road safety, as older vehicles are more prone to breakdowns and more often involved in accidents. The authority therefore expects that one percent fewer traffic fatalities and injuries would be possible.
The ADAC is critical of these plans: According to the club, a shortening of the inspection intervals would be disproportionate. A high level of effort would be offset by an undemonstrable gain in safety. In this case, however, these are not plans that have already been sealed. The proposal would first have to be adopted by the EU Parliament and the member states.
Meanwhile, in October 2025, the EU Parliament agreed on new regulations around driving licences, for example higher weight limits for motorhomes, the digital driving licence for smartphones and the EU-wide withdrawal of driving licences. However, the implementation of the EU regulations is expected to take years.
