TÜV for old cars every year: That probably won’t happen

A short interview with Zündstoff: For days, drivers have been upset about a report in the trade magazine “”. In it, TÜV Süd managing director Jürgen Wolz calls for shortened intervals for old cars. He said, “What we […] advocate an annual inspection for vehicles that are more than ten years old. The defect rate for these cars is significantly higher, especially if they are not regularly serviced.”

This statement has since caused a wave of outrage. Automobile clubs and vehicle owners are up in arms – after all, a general inspection (HU), which is usually carried out together with an emissions test (AU), can quickly cost 150 euros or more for a car. Understandably, for many people it is more than enough that they have to go to an inspector every two years – whether it be TÜV, GTÜ or Dekra.

The “” (AvD) reacted promptly and wrote: “The AvD opposes TÜV Süd’s demand that vehicles that are more than ten years old be subjected to an annual general inspection.” Numerous media outlets published articles that gave the impression that the matter had been decided.

What is quickly forgotten in the debate: TÜV Süd does not decide at all how often cars have to be tested. But of course a testing organization has a great interest in using its services as often as possible. If you ask a beverage retailer whether people should drink more mineral water, they won’t say no.

The panic that drivers of older cars now have to expect to be cited for testing every year because of this statement is initially misplaced. The star spoke to several testing organizations and official bodies. First of all, it became clear: Wolz’s statement appears to have been a solo effort; colleagues from the other testing centers knew nothing about it.

And the offices? The Federal Motor Transport Authority was unable to help directly. It said: “The HU is legally anchored in Section 29 StVZO, this regulation is issued by the Federal Ministry of Transport, the KBA has neither authority nor responsibility for this. The KBA is also not the superior authority of the monitoring organizations. Please contact us with this question to the BMDV.”

No sooner said than done. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) explained this star: “The basis for the specified time intervals for the main inspection according to number 2.1 Appendix VIII of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations is the statistically averaged number of defects for the respective vehicle type. The BMDV does not have any scientifically reliable cost-benefit analysis that would shorten the inspection periods for vehicles, which are older than nine years, would justify demands from monitoring institutions for a shortening of the examination periods Older vehicles are not supported by the BMDV.”

In short: a lot of fuss about nothing, because the deadlines won’t change any time soon – even if the TÜV understandably thinks this is a good thing.