TÜV Nord Joins TÜV Süd’s Proposal for Annual Vehicle Inspections for Older Cars, but with Conditions.
TÜV Nord’s Mobility Director, Hartmut Abeln, told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” that an annual inspection of older vehicles is not necessarily required, despite the higher likelihood of errors due to reduced maintenance. Abeln stated, “We still have a very high safety standard for older vehicles.”
TÜV Süd had recently proposed that vehicles over 10 years old should undergo annual inspections, instead of the current two-year interval. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) reports that the average age of passenger cars in Germany is 10.3 years.
Abeln does not expect the cost of vehicle inspections to increase significantly in the short term, unless new technologies are introduced. “Large price jumps are not to be expected, unless new technologies come into play” he said.
Regarding the increasing number of electric vehicles, Abeln noted that the main differences in inspections are in the braking systems. The regenerative braking, which recovers some of the braking energy, significantly reduces the wear on electric vehicles. “We’ve already seen electric cars with 300,000 kilometers on the odometer still with their original brake pads” Abeln said. Due to the reduced wear, inspectors must pay closer attention to the condition of the brakes.