The Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1981

Applications for examinations

12.—(1) An application for an examination of a vehicle in Class VI under these Regulations shall be made to the Secretary of State as indicated in the Table on page 12.

(2) An application for an examination (including a re-examination) of a vehicle in a class other than Class VI under these Regulations shall be made as indicated in the Table below:—

(1)	(2)	(3)
Item No.	Person or body to whom application must be made	Manner in which appointment must be made
1.	An examiner or a designated council.	By arrangement following application made in writing or, during the normal working week, by telephone to, or in person at (whether by submitting the vehicle or not), the vehicle testing station where the applicant desires the vehicle to be examined.
2.	The Secretary of State.	By arrangement following prior application.

(3) Subject to the following provisions of these Regulations, examiners and designated councils shall ensure that—

(a) where in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) an appointment is requested for the carrying out of an examination by the examiner or, as the case may be, the designated council, an appointment is forthwith offered for the carrying out of the examination at the earliest time at which it is reasonably practicable for the examination to be carried out during the normal working week;

(b) where in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (2) a vehicle is submitted for examination by the examiner or, as the case may be, the designated council without any appointment for the carrying out of the examination having been previously made, the applicant is informed either that the examination can be carried out forthwith or, if not, of the earliest time at which it is reasonably practicable for the examination to be carried out during the normal working week;

(c) except in so far as prevented by circumstances beyond the control of the examiner or council, examinations are carried out in accordance with the appointments made or the information given in pursuance of the preceding provisions of this paragraph or at such other times as may be arranged between the applicant and the examiner or council.

(4) On an appointment being made or a time being arranged for the carrying out of an examination in accordance with paragraph (3) the examiner or the designated council, as the case may be, shall record the hour and the date thereof and the name of the person by whom the application for the examination is made:

Provided that no such record needs to be made in a case where a vehicle is submitted for examination at a vehicle testing station of an examiner or designated council, without any appointment for the carrying out of the examination having been previously made, and the examination is carried out forthwith.

(5) Any examiner and any inspector appointed by a designated council or the Secretary of State may carry out an examination of a motor vehicle in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations notwithstanding that the foregoing provisions of this Regulation have not been complied with.

(6) Nothing in this Regulation shall be taken as entitling an examiner to carry out an examination of a vehicle not being of a type included in the authorisation of the examiner, or as imposing on a designated council or an inspector appointed by such a council any obligation with respect to the carrying out of an examination of a vehicle not being of a type which that council have for the time being notified to the Secretary of State as a type of vehicle which will be examined by inspectors appointed by that council.