Trade bodies have given their reaction to the Government announcement that it has dropped plans to reduce the testing frequency for MOTs.

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association(BVRLA) has welcomed news that the government is going to maintain current MOT test frequencies and concentrate on improving testing standards and cracking down on clockers.

BVRLA chief executive, John Lewis, said: “The once a year after three years model works perfectly well for cars and vans as long as test centres do their job properly.

"Our only disappointment is that the government didn’t listen to our calls for safety recall notices to be made an MOT criterion. It is ridiculous that a car can pass its MOT while having an outstanding safety recall notification that hasn’t been dealt with.

“We would also urge the government to go further in clamping down on clockers by introducing some sort of licensing system for mileage adjustment companies.”

IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: "The IAM welcomes today’s announcement on MOT testing with its strong focus on improving customer service and experience of the MOT test.

"A recent IAM survey showed that most drivers were happy with the three year frequency but many had concerns with the quality of MOT testing stations. Thirty per cent believe garages are not independent enough to conduct MOTs, 26 per cent think that garages deliberately find things wrong in order to get money out of them, and 40 per cent think there is no consistency between garages in the way they do the test.

"The IAM supports the move to get more garages to sign up to the Motor Codes scheme and a fair deal for motorists. For far too long only the best garages have taken part in industry schemes while the rouge traders get away with shoddy work and rip-off prices.

"Mystery shopping is one way of addressing this but success will only be achieved when our surveys show 100% satisfaction with the MOT service.

"The Government has also failed to address the key issue of why UK failure rates for MOTs are so much higher than our European counterparts."

Sue Robinson, RMI director, said: “The Department for Transport’s plan to add vehicle mileage onto the MOT certificate is an extremely positive move both for the consumer and the industry.

“We are pleased that the Government have listened to the industry by proposing that the MOT database can be used to verify the mileage of a vehicle when a customer is making a purchase. The RMI have campaigned for many years to stamp out clocking and welcome this move.”

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said: “Industry welcomes the decision by government to retain the existing MOT test regime, supporting the need to keep road safety a top priority.

“Government will encourage garages to take up industry codes of practice to ensure a consistent and high quality approach to testing, thereby building consumer confidence and satisfaction. Industry will continue to work with the OFT-backed consumer protection scheme, Motor Codes, to play its part in improving standards across the service and repair sector.”