The government has decided to remove the capping on the number of VRT garages offering the tests and is in the process of issuing another eight licences, the Times of Malta has learnt.
The decision to add to the list of VRT stations available comes after the government threw out a request for the price of the VRT test to increase.
A spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry said that the government had “no intention” to increase test fees which have remained the same since the test was introduced two decades ago.
Read: ‘Unacceptable’ for VRT test fee to remain the same
The stations had asked for fees to increase to almost €30 from the present €20.27 to, at least, cover the cost-of-living increases of the past 20 years. There are currently 38 VRT stations operating in Malta and Gozo.
There are currently 38 VRT stations operating in Malta and Gozo
The price of €20.27 includes Transport Malta’s administration fee of 70c and 18 per cent VAT.
The owners want the price to increase to €24.58, excluding the TM administration fee and VAT. The final figure would work out at €29.83.
Several VRT station owners told the Times of Malta that their costs had increased considerably over the years. Apart from the increase in the cost of electricity, which is needed for the garage equipment, they are also expected to continuously invest in updating machinery.
Moreover, stricter rules such as the presence of a second tester during the VRT make it even more costly for them to have a viable operation.
Malta’s VRT is the cheapest in Europe. In Luxembourg, a VRT costs €37 for a regular car and €80 for larger vehicles. In the UK, getting a car tested costs £50 while the cost of roadworthiness tests in Germany is around €100.
The ministry spokeswoman also confirmed that it was planning on issuing the licences to the eight pending applicants, therefore increasing the total number of VRT stations to 46.
Last week, Transport Malta announced the introduction of a new system through which vehicles with minor road defects will be allowed on the road provided problems are fixed as soon as possible.
The changes, which are being introduced to standardise Malta’s roadworthiness laws with those in other EU states, introduce a four-tier categorisation system.