Two and three-motorized wheels will not be the only ones to have to pass technical inspection in 2024. In fact, another category of vehicle, which has become very popular among the French, is also concerned: cars without a license. We will explain the details of the measurement to you.
As you may know, owners of motorized two- and three-wheelers will have to have their vehicles undergo a technical inspection from 2024. The introduction of this controversial measure was made official after long years of negotiations, sometimes marked by postponements and cancellations. Finally, a decree published in the Official Journal in October 2023 clarified the contours of the process as well as its date of entry into force.
Thus, vehicles put into circulation before January 1, 2017 must be checked within four months from April 15, 2024. For newer models, the date varies. However, we have just learned that another category of vehicle will also have to go through the technical inspection box from next year, namely cars without a license like the Citroën AMI or the Fiat Topolino to name a few.
What will the schedule be?
As reported by our colleagues at BFM TV, light and heavy thermal and electric quadricles will also have to be checked. Here again, the measure will be imposed gradually: models entering circulation before 2017 will be the first. Then in 2025 will come the carts registered between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019, then in 2026 those registered between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.
From 2027, the “classic” calendar imposed by the Ministry of Transport takes over. In other words, each cart without a license will have to be checked 5 years after its first registration (within 6 months before the anniversary date). Then, new visits must be carried out every three years.
Two wheels and car without a license, same technical inspection
Rather surprisingly, the technical inspection for cars without a license will be identical to that of two wheels. In any case, this is what Karine Bonnet, general manager of Dekra, the number 1 technical inspection center in France, says: “There will be 78 checkpoints, compared to 133 for a light vehicle (LV), with 165 possible failures, compared to 613 in an LV, but we clearly find the three levels of failures: minor, major and critical.
In detail, the checkpoints will focus on essential elements such as the condition of brakes, steering, signal lights, reflective devices or even electrical equipment such as the battery, but also axles, tires or suspensions. However, there will be some exceptions, since defog and washer functionality will not be checked, this equipment is not offered as standard on the majority of cars without a license. Note that polluting emissions will also be scrutinized.
In the event of an unfavorable result, the motorist will also have a period of two months to comply and carry out the counter-inspection. And if a critical problem has been detected, the owner will have the right to travel only on the day of the inspection.
Where can you get your cart checked?
Naturally, another question arises: where can you get your car checked without a license? Like two-wheelers, finding a qualified center promises to be difficult, in the early days at least. For good reason, the procedure has nothing to do with that used for a classic car. In order to be ready for April 15, 2024 (date on which the first models will be examined), the technical inspection centers will have to be trained. As Karine Bonnet points out, centers that already hold VL or PL (heavy goods vehicle) approval will have to follow 33 hours of training… An envelope which increases to 140 hours for new centers.
The price of technical inspection
At what price can you expect to get away with carrying out a technical inspection of your car without a license? For the moment, we do not yet have the official response from the government. However, we can base ourselves on the price promised by the authorities for the technical inspection of two wheels, namely a fifty euros. “We are in negotiations with professionals. We put the pressure on”, declared the Minister of Transport Clément Beaune to our colleagues at Brut in June 2023.
Let us recall in passing that to calm the discontent of bikers regarding the measure, the government announced the increase in the ceiling of the conversion bonus. To switch to an electric two-wheeler, the lowest-income households will be able to benefit from assistance of €6,000 instead of €1,100.