Hon Chris Bishop
Minister of Transport

From 1 September, commonsense changes will see vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes moving to annual vehicle inspections rather than six-monthly, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

“Everyone loves spotting a beautifully kept vintage car out for a Sunday drive, and cruising around our beautiful country in a motorhome is a classic Kiwi dream,” Mr Bishop says.

“There are about 128,000 vintage vehicles and 39,000 private motorhomes registered in New Zealand. Until now, their owners have had to front up for a Warrant or Certificate of Fitness inspection every six months - even though these vehicles are driven far less than your average modern car.

“Evidence shows that vintage vehicles and motorhomes are half as likely to have a contributing fault in a serious crash - even after adjusting for how many of them are on the road. And when it comes to passing a WoF inspection, vintage vehicles actually perform better than vehicles under 40 years old.

“In fact, once a vehicle hits 40, its pass rates go up - proof that hitting middle age isn’t all bad news.

“Earlier this year, the Government consulted on reducing the frequency of those inspections to six-monthly. Public support was overwhelmingly in favour of making this change.

“I’m pleased to confirm that from 1 September, vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes will only require annual inspections instead of six-monthly.

“Owners of these vehicles can now spend less time on bureaucracy and queueing for a vehicle inspection, and more time where they’d rather be - under the bonnet or out on the road.

“For drivers of modern cars, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you. The Government will also be reviewing WOF/COF frequency and inspection requirements for other light vehicles as part of the Land Transport Rules Reform Programme. We’ll have more to say on this soon.”

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