Despite 17,300 complaints about cars emitting excessive fumes, the number which last year failed the emissions test was just 63, a failure rate of just 15 per cent.
The number is comparable to that of 2016, in which 57 vehicles were found in breach of emissions regulations out of a total of 16,000 reports.
However, a spokesman for the transport watchdog told The Sunday Times of Malta that this huge discrepancy did not necessarily mean there was something wrong with the emissions alert system, as it is called. He said that a number of changes to the system were in the pipeline but declined to give further details.
The public can flag a car emitting excessive fumes by sending an SMS to 5061 1899, but in order for the vehicle to be tested, there must be at least three complaints from different sources.
It has emerged that in 2017, out of 17,300 reports, 629 cars were called for testing, of which 428 turned up.
The public can flag car emissions by SMS, but for the vehicle to be tested there must be at least three complaints from different sources
Car owners who do not respond to Transport Malta’s call are not permitted to renew their road licence until they regularise their position. Of the vehicles tested, 365 were not found in breach of emissions regulations, and just 63 failed.
Eighteen cars were taken off the road – having been either garaged or scrapped.
READ: How many vehicle emissions tests go up in smoke?
Asked for an explanation of the huge discrepancy between the reports and the cars that failed the test, Transport Malta insisted it was due to technical and administrative factors.
A spokesman pointed out that by default, the maximum number of cars which could be tested was a third of the SMS complaints, as there must be at least three complaints about the same car from three different mobile numbers.
This was in place to avoid people reporting vehicles out of spite and not because they in fact had an emissions problem, he said.
Furthermore, in a significant number of cases, the vehicle owner carried out the necessary repairs in advance and consequently passed the test.
From a technical perspective, the regulator remarked that not all vehicles that emit excessive smoke were necessarily in breach of the law. When a car stopped frequently, for example, its exhaust system constantly accumulated soot, and consequently, if it remained stationary for an extended period, it would leave the soot behind, the spokesman explained.
While this might prompt complaints, the reported vehicle would still pass the EU-approved test, as the source of the heavy emissions would not be related to a malfunction, he added.
Transport Malta also pointed out that another source of excessive emissions could be engine regeneration, a process performed by modern engines and resulting in white fumes. EU laws allowed for these emissions, the authority said.