Cyprus May Reduce MOT Frequency for Rental Cars

The Cyprus Road Transport Department has proposed extending the period before the first mandatory technical inspection for driverless rental vehicles from two to three years. The changes are included in a draft amendment to the 2026 motor vehicle and road traffic regulations. The proposal has been opened for public consultation.

The proposal applies to vehicles in two categories:

1. M1 — passenger vehicles designed to carry no more than eight passengers in addition to the driver;
2. N1 — vehicles used to transport goods with a maximum weight of no more than 3.5 tons.

The change would apply to vehicles in these categories that are rented without a driver. It does not provide for a general change to MOT inspection schedules for all private vehicles in Cyprus.

How the technical inspection schedule would change

Under the current rules, the first technical inspection for the relevant rental vehicles is required two years after they enter service. The Road Transport Department is proposing to extend this period to three years. The schedule for subsequent inspections would remain unchanged: after the first MOT, the vehicle would continue to undergo an inspection once a year.

The proposed schedule would therefore be:

1. First MOT inspection: after three years instead of two.
2. Subsequent MOT inspections: annually.

The amendment concerns the fifth schedule of the existing motor vehicle and road traffic regulations.

Why Cyprus is considering changing the rules

According to the Road Transport Department, the initiative followed a request from the Cyprus Car Rental Association (CCRA). Before preparing the proposal, the department reviewed the distances traveled by vehicles registered as new during their first years of operation. The results of this assessment were taken into account when developing the proposal to change the timing of the first technical inspection.

The amendments are currently at the public consultation stage. Therefore, the proposed three-year period cannot yet be considered a final rule. If adopted, the changes would allow operators of driverless rental vehicles to undergo the first MOT one year later while keeping annual inspections in place after that.

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