The DVSA is making significant changes to the way it carries out site reviews and enforcement visits from 1 April 2025, with the aim of making the process more efficient, less disruptive, and more focused on test quality rather than paperwork.
The majority of the DVSA’s enforcement work is already targeted, using a mix of intelligence from the public and garages, along with data gathered from MOT stations.
Over the years, these “site reviews” have helped risk-rate garages so that poorly performing sites can be prioritised for inspections and support.
Historically, these reviews have also provided opportunities for advice and guidance, but full on-site reviews have become time-consuming and don’t always confirm the key question: are vehicles receiving the correct MOT result?
To address this, the DVSA is changing how on-site reviews are carried out.
The traditional, detailed deep-dive will now be replaced with a more basic compliance check. Inspectors will still visit garages in person, but the emphasis will shift towards test outcomes and whether MOTs are being carried out correctly.
This move is expected to reduce preparation time for garages and allow the DVSA to visit more sites – while still ensuring standards are met.
Under the new approach, inspectors will continue to check that the authorised entity is still in charge of the site, that required equipment is present and working, that vehicles being tested are actually on site, that MOT Testing Service security rules are being followed and that the site is being kept to basic standards.
They will also reinspect a recently tested vehicle to ensure it received a proper and accurate test.
While the DVSA still expects garages to maintain solid systems for managing staff, quality control and site operations, they say this streamlined check can be carried out even during other visits – such as new tester sign-offs or appeals.
They also emphasise that this simplification does not mean garages will receive less support. With more focus on the quality of the test, DVSA examiners hope to actually offer more targeted advice when they are on-site.
Offsite reviews are also being modernised. Garages with good compliance records will, in some cases, be offered an offsite review instead.
These used to involve phone calls, which were often missed or inconvenient. From April 2025, the DVSA will instead email a new “VTS Self Assessment” form to the Authorised Examiner Designated Manager.
They will have 14 days to complete and return it, after which DVSA will assess whether anything further is needed. If all is in order, nothing more will happen but serious gaps could trigger a follow-up visit.
This flexible system should free examiners to focus on other essential work such as new tester approvals, giving advice, and addressing non-compliant garages more effectively.
Alongside this, the DVSA is also raising the threshold for disciplinary action from 30 to 40 points.
The agency found that some lower-level cases could have been resolved through guidance rather than formal action, so the higher threshold gives examiners more room to address issues with advice and training first.
The DVSA says the aim is to create a culture of improvement, where corrective training is used where suitable and disciplinary action is reserved for serious or persistent breaches.
Ultimately, these changes are intended to help garages deliver higher-quality MOT testing with less disruption and to ensure DVSA visits focus on what really matters, whether vehicles are safe and MOT results are correct.
Garages that run well should see visits that are quicker and less intrusive, while those with issues will still face enforcement where necessary.
The DVSA emphasises that support and improvement are the goals, but if significant problems are found, especially repeatedly, they will still take firm action.
By making the process faster and more relevant, the DVSA hopes both examiners and garage owners can concentrate on maintaining high standards and providing safe, reliable MOTs for customers.
