Vehicle monitoring: ZDK welcomes EU Parliament decision

The German Association of Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) welcomes the decisions of the European Parliament to revise the EU rules for periodic vehicle inspections and technical roadside checks. With this, the Members of Parliament sent important signals for greater practical relevance, technological neutrality, and consumer friendliness.

The Transport Committee in European Parliament has responded to the proposals of European Commission The Members of Parliament took a position on the revision of EU rules for periodic vehicle inspections and technical roadside checks. They rejected the proposal to shorten the inspection intervals for cars and vans older than ten years from every two years to annually as disproportionate. They also argued that there was no evidence that this would reduce the number of accidents.

To facilitate mobility within the EU, the technical inspection of a car or van should be temporarily possible in an EU country other than the country of registration. Following a successful inspection, a provisional EU periodic technical inspection certificate valid for six months should be issued. During emissions testing, additional measurements of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides should be included in the regular periodic technical inspections. However, this will be on a voluntary basis – member states will be able to decide on the scope of these measurements themselves.

Signals for greater practical relevance

To combat odometer fraud and manipulation in the used car market, MEPs support a new obligation for car repair shops to record the mileage of cars and vans, and for manufacturers to enter data from connected vehicles into a national database. However, to spare small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) additional burdens, this obligation will only apply if the repair takes longer than one hour.

The Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry The German Association of Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) welcomes the decisions of the Transport Committee. From the perspective of the automotive industry, Parliament is sending important signals for greater practicality, technological neutrality, and consumer friendliness. The ZDK particularly welcomes the rejection of a mandatory annual periodic technical inspection for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles older than ten years. "A general reduction in inspection intervals would have been neither proportionate nor sufficiently justified from a technical standpoint," the ZDK explains.

You might also be interested in:

Mobility

High-tech behind glass

Operations management

Automotive industry warns: End of cybersecurity updates imminent

Craft policy

Right to repair: ZDK warns of liability traps

ZDK supports technological openness

The planned possibility of conducting mandatory vehicle inspections temporarily in other EU member states is also a step in the right direction. This will facilitate mobility within Europe for commuters, long-term travelers, and vehicle owners working abroad. Regarding emissions testing, the ZDK supports technology-neutral and practical solutions. The decision by the Transport Committee to allow member states to voluntarily conduct additional measurements of nitrogen oxides and particle number takes into account the different technical and infrastructural conditions across Europe.

The German Association of Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) had spoken out against mandatory nitrogen oxide (NOx) measurements for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. "There is simply no practical testing procedure – in particular, the required vehicle conditioning is not feasible. Furthermore, automotive businesses would have been burdened with high investment costs. We have averted this in the first step," says ZDK President Thomas Peckruhn. Federal government The rules should not be tightened.

Automotive industry opposes documentation requirements

The German Association of Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) also welcomes the planned modernization of the inspection catalogs. The inclusion of modern driver assistance systems such as emergency brake assist and airbags in regular technical inspections is a necessary step to ensure the continued functionality of safety-relevant systems. The ZDK also believes that the additional inspection points planned for electric and hybrid vehicles reflect the technological development of the vehicle fleet.

The German Association of Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) is critical of the additional documentation requirements for workshops in connection with recording mileage. While combating odometer tampering is an important goal, the additional bureaucratic burden for small and medium-sized automotive businesses must be kept to a minimum. Against this backdrop, the ZDK considers the proposed de minimis threshold for repairs taking less than one hour to be an important step.

DHB now also digital!Simply click here and register for the digital German Crafts Journal (DHB)!