Review of Need for Inspection of New Cars from Third Year Onwards

Mr Ang Hin Kee asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the current practice of subjecting registered new cars for inspection from the third year onwards to the fourth year instead as increasingly there have been new improvements in car designs and higher safety standards in vehicles; and (b) whether inspection works done by authorised car dealers who provide servicing and maintenance of fairly new vehicles can also qualify as approved inspection works and their reports taken as a proxy for the third year instead of sending the vehicle to an inspection centre.

The inspection passing rate for three-year-old cars is about 93% and has not improved in the last five years. This is despite new car designs and technological features. There is, therefore, no strong case for conducting the first inspection in the fourth rather than the third year.

LTA's authorised inspection centres do not provide vehicle repair and maintenance services. This allows them to be independent and objective in their inspection and removes any possibility of a conflict of interest. This is not the case for motor dealers.