New Zealand: Warrant of Fitness Changes Take Effect November 1, First Check for New Cars at Four Years
New Zealand's new Warrant of Fitness (WoF) rules took effect on November 1: new cars will now require their first WoF after four years instead of three, and the government says testing timeframes are now more aligned with safety risk and will not come at the expense of road safety.
Under the changes, light vehicles between four and 14 years old and first registered on or after November 1, 2019 will transition from annual to two-yearly inspections, while vehicles over 14 years old and motorcycles registered before January 2000 will move to annual inspections. Rental vehicles will transition from six-monthly to annual inspections.
WoF and Certificate of Fitness inspections are also being expanded to test certain advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) features, and fines have increased from NZ$200 to NZ$350 for a WoF expired by more than two months. Associate Minister of Transport James Meager said compulsory inspections will be focused where they make the biggest difference to safety, on older and higher-risk vehicles.
Government figures say defects identified during inspections contribute to only 3.5 percent of death and serious injury crashes. Transport Minister Chris Bishop said in April that 74 percent of respondents in 2025 consultation supported reducing inspections for lower-risk vehicles. From November 2027, two-yearly inspections will expand to vehicles registered on or after November 1, 2013.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：车辆检验贴纸（资料图），Nizzan Cohen 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0 授权 / Photo: vehicle inspection stickers, by Nizzan Cohen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
