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Meetings are about to take place with the motoring industry to iron out the details of a new vehicle inspection regime.
Introduction of the Guernsey-style MOT was pushed back by the twin impact of Covid and Brexit, but now work is accelerating towards implementing the new regime next year.
Environment & Infrastructure President Lindsay De Sausmarez offered reassurances to States members about the inspections after questions were asked by Deputy John Gollop during last week's States meeting.
The committee is working in partnership with the industry, she said, but there were caveats to the timescale, including the availability of legal drafting resources.
"These inspections are to ensure a pretty basic level of vehicle safety, we should bear that in mind," she said when pushed on why they were required.
"It's about ensuring the vehicles on our roads are as safe as the basic standard requires them to be, at the moment there's no such requirement."
The inspections are part of the requirement of Guernsey meeting the Vienna Convention, which will ensure local drivers can travel in Europe, but also that visitors can drive here.
Deputy De Sausmarez stressed that the local regime will be less onerous because vehicles will not need to be tested annually like in the UK. Over time, that means the tests will also be less costly when totalled up.
The maximum a UK garage can charge for an MOT is £54.85.
In the UK, once a vehicle is three years old, it must pass an MOT test every year.
In France, a Contrôle Technique test must be carried out on vehicles when they reach four years old and this must be renewed every two years.
"A meeting has been arranged with the local motor industry to present the draft proposals for period vehicle inspections," she said.
"One of the topics of discussion will be the cost of inspections for all vehicle types. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that the regime as agreed as proportionate for Guernsey under the Vienna Convention is far less onerous and therefore likely to be far less costly for car owners than equivalent tests typically are elsewhere.
"While our regime will apply the same safety standards, inspections will only be required once cars are five years old and subsequent tests every three years."
There will be exemptions for classic vehicles, classed as those older than 40 years.
Jersey has made an order under its Road Traffic law that resets the date for inspections to 31 March 2028.
Another deadline passes for MOT-style inspections
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