TÜV NORD-Statistik: Fahrzeugmängel nehmen bei Hauptuntersuchung wieder zu

Hanover: A negative trend in the general inspection (HU): The proportion of vehicles without defects fell in the general inspections carried out by TÜV NORD last year. According to the statistics, 60.2 percent of all vehicles were completely free of defects and 14 percent were found to have minor defects during the general inspection.

Compared to the previous year, the proportion of vehicles with no defects at all has fallen by 8.2 percent. This means that more than one in four vehicles has such serious defects that it must first be repaired before the sticker can be affixed. At 0.07 percent, the number of roadworthy vehicles that have to be taken out of service immediately remains at a pleasingly low level.

This is the result of the statistical analysis of all main inspections carried out at the more than 250 TÜV NORD stations and in over 10,000 TÜV NORD partner workshops from mid-2022 to mid-2023. The fifth defect category, “dangerous defects”, which was newly introduced in May 2018, is categorized as “significant defects”. A “dangerous defect” represents a direct and immediate traffic hazard or significantly impairs the environment; for example, if all the brake lights on a vehicle have failed.

General inspection at TÜV NORD ensures road safety

The unbiased look at the defect rates of the TÜV experts is once again proof of the effectiveness of the independent and neutral main inspection, which is usually due every two years and for which vehicles with defects are sent to the repair stores. This encourages drivers to invest in keeping their vehicles in good technical condition - to the benefit of general road safety

Hartmut Abeln, Managing Director at TÜV NORD Mobilität, says: “Unfortunately, we are finding that more vehicles are showing defects at the main inspection. This is partly due to the increasing age of vehicles. Due to inflation and general price increases in various areas of life, people are currently more reluctant to buy a new or young used car. In addition, less money is being invested in the maintenance and care of vehicles. One encouraging trend, however, is the growing number of e-cars being inspected by TÜV NORD. This shows that the mobility transition is already in full swing and that people are increasingly interested in alternative drive systems.”

Number of electric vehicles in the HU is increasing

Although the vast majority of vehicles that come to TÜV NORD stations for an MOT are still powered by combustion engines, the number of e-cars is rising noticeably. Compared to the previous year, there has been an increase of more than 60 percent. The TÜV NORD GROUP is also intensifying its expansion of charging stations and, in addition to the main locations in Essen, Hamburg and Hanover, has installed over 100 new charging stations at smaller locations, including Bremen, Dortmund, Magdeburg and Kiel.

Average age of vehicles increases risk of defects

The older the vehicles are at their TÜV appointment, the higher the number of those that do not receive a sticker at the first attempt. The latest TÜV NORD figures prove this: At the first MOT at the age of three years, 5.6 percent of cars are found to have significant defects. At the age of five years, the figure is already over 9 percent.

The average mileage, which in addition to vehicle age is also a reason for wear and tear and thus for defects, is currently 42,909 kilometers for three-year-old vehicles and 67,222 kilometers for five-year-old vehicles.

TÜV sticker changes to green at the start of 2024

Important: If you are currently still driving with a pink sticker for 2023, you should make an appointment with your MOT soon. With the upcoming turn of the year, the color of the sticker will change from pink to green. This means that the police, for example, will be able to see immediately if the TÜV appointment has been missed. After more than two months, a warning fine is then due and from the eighth month, a point in Flensburg is added.

Volkswagen's Sportsvan is listed as the car with the fewest faults in the entire 2024 TÜV report. It is followed twice by the Group subsidiary Audi with the Audi Q2 and the Audi TT. In the compact car category, the best-in-class e-Golf is the first purely electric vehicle to feature in the ranking.

The Dacia Dokker and Tesla's Model 3 are at the bottom of the ranking in the 2-3 year old age group.

The TÜV report, which lists type-specific vehicle defects in detail and is therefore an important guide when buying a used car, is available at every TÜV STATION and in newsagents for 5.90 euros. Further information on the study can be found here: https://www.tuev-nord.de/de/privatkunden/ratgeber-und-tipps/auto-ratgeber/tuev-report/

Founded over 150 years ago, we stand for security and trust worldwide. As a knowledge company, we have our sights firmly set on the digital future. Whether engineers, IT security experts or specialists for the mobility of the future: in more than 100 countries, we ensure that our customers become even more successful in the networked world.