There has been a quadrupling of Class 7 MOTs, compared with 2020, as fleet managers extend replacement cycles for their commercial vehicles.

The analysis, from ATS Euromaster, shows a 216% uplift, mirroring recent reports from the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) that some van fleet operators are discovering that replacement cycles can be stretched to up to eight years.

Fleets have been extending replacement cycles as they struggle to replace vehicles due the war in Ukraine combined with the shortage of semiconductors since 2020.

“We’ve been watching the MOT demand for Class 7 vehicles increase year-on-year,” said Mark Holland, operations director at ATS Euromaster.

“In 2021, we saw a 70% uplift in MOT class 7 volumes compared with 2020 volumes. Then 2022 delivered an 86% uplift on 2021 volumes. So demand has been growing at a staggering volume as the commercial vehicle fleet ages, but what we are also witnessing is changing attitudes to fleet management.

“For example, if a van comes in for new tyres, we may also be asked to do a vehicle health check at the same time to identify any areas of concern that might keep the vehicle off-road.

“It’s a typical example of fleet managers becoming more adept at running older and higher mileage vehicles.”

The latest Government figures show that nearly 40% of Class 7 vehicles fail their MOT.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment lead the way as the most likely cause of failure (20.4%), followed by brakes (15.4%), then suspension (10.2%).

In terms of the greatest percentage of dangerous defects, brakes at 44.6% and tyres (35.8%) were a long way ahead of any other defects.

“These figures correlate very closely with what we are seeing in our MOT bays,” continued Holland. “The vans are being worked extremely hard and with much of it final mile delivery work, this involves plenty of component sapping kerb bouncing.

“We would urge fleet managers, if they are not doing it already, to consider planned maintenance as vehicle replacement cycles lengthen to prevent the costliest item of all - a vehicle off road.”

Class 7 vans are those commercial vehicles weighing between 3,000-3,500kg.