New Zealand Vintage Vehicles & Private Motorhomes Shift to Annual Inspections from Sept 1

From 1 September, commonsense changes will see vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes moving to annual vehicle inspections rather than six-monthly, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.

Everyone loves spotting a beautifully kept vintage car out for a Sunday drive, and cruising around our beautiful country in a motorhome is a classic Kiwi dream, Mr Bishop says.

There are about 128,000 vintage vehicles and 39,000 private motorhomes registered in New Zealand. Until now, their owners have had to front up for a Warrant or Certificate of Fitness inspection every six months - even though these vehicles are driven far less than your average modern car.

Evidence shows that vintage vehicles and motorhomes are half as likely to have a contributing fault in a serious crash - even after adjusting for how many of them are on the road. And when it comes to passing a WoF inspection, vintage vehicles actually perform better than vehicles under 40 years old.

In fact, once a vehicle hits 40, its pass rates go up - proof that hitting middle age isn’t all bad news.

Earlier this year, the Government consulted on reducing the frequency of those inspections to six-monthly. Public support was overwhelmingly in favour of making this change.

I’m pleased to confirm that from 1 September, vintage light vehicles and private heavy motorhomes will only require annual inspections instead of six-monthly.

Owners of these vehicles can now spend less time on bureaucracy and queueing for a vehicle inspection, and more time where they’d rather be - under the bonnet or out on the road.

For drivers of modern cars, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you. The Government will also be reviewing WOF/COF frequency and inspection requirements for other light vehicles as part of the Land Transport Rules Reform Programme. We’ll have more to say on this soon.

Notes to Editor: Attached: Photo of Transport Minister Chris Bishop in a 1964 Austin Healey MkIII From 1 September 2025: Warrant of Fitness (WoF) checks for light vehicles over 40 years old will change from every six months to every year Certificate of Fitness (CoF) checks for privately-owned heavy motorhome vehicles will change from every six months to every year Facts and figures: Vintage light vehicles refer to cars and motorcycles that are over 40 years old.

In total, there are around 4.4 million light vehicles in New Zealand.

To make a Rule change, the Minister of Transport is required to consult with the public.

A total of 13,242 submissions were received via survey and email.

89 per cent supported changing private heavy motorhome inspections from six-monthly to annual.

98 per cent supported changing vintage light vehicle inspections from six-monthly to annual.