Motor vehicle trade in Wiesbaden: New course for safe traffic controls!

Motor vehicle trade in Wiesbaden: New course for safe traffic controls!

A round table recently took place in Wiesbaden at which representatives of the automotive industry and testing organizations came together to discuss urgent questions relating to technical vehicle inspection. The technical managers of the testing service providers in Hesse were invited, which is seen as an important sign of exchange in the industry. The event was opened by state guild master Thorsten Krämer and board member Lothar Ahlers. Joachim Kuhn, managing director of the regional association, gave an overview of the new reporting procedure for the testing centers, which has been running via the central PSP database since March 31, 2025. This regulation is based on the 56th Amendment to Road Traffic Regulations, which brings important innovations to the test process design.

Significant topics were on the agenda: Technical officer Andreas David Lutz explained the requirements of accreditation for emissions testing (AU) and safety testing in accordance with ISO 17020. Another focus of the discussion was the 2024 defect statistics for emissions testing, which revealed that ultimately over 750,000 emissions-related defects were found in motor vehicles subject to AU. Such figures show once again how important regular vehicle inspections are for road safety and environmental protection.

Defect statistics and safety aspects

The most recent surveys demonstrate the relevance of emissions tests: over 12 million motor vehicles subject to AU were examined in the 2020 survey period. The defect rate was 5.9%, which means that over 717,000 vehicles had defects. Fortunately, more than 342,000 vehicles were repaired through maintenance and inspection, ensuring safe participation in road traffic. This data comes from 30,560 recognized AU workshops and clearly demonstrates the benefits of these controls.

The Central Association of the German Motor Vehicle Industry emphasizes how important emissions testing is for environmental protection. This highlights the need for tailpipe measurements as they ensure compliance with emissions limits over the life of a vehicle. Despite the monitoring, emissions-related defects were identified and corrected in a timely manner in almost 185,000 vehicles, so that these vehicles passed the emissions test.

A positive turnaround for the automotive industry

A positive signal for the Hessian motor vehicle industry is the planned elimination of the bundling authorities for individual operating licenses. This could lead to a significant reduction in the bureaucratic effort involved in applying for permits. The aim of the meeting was to develop practical and legally compliant solutions to ensure road safety. The industry's commitment to fostering exchanges between the various actors is seen as crucial to overcoming the challenges posed by technical vehicle monitoring.

Overall, the discussion in Wiesbaden shows that the technical requirements and legal requirements in the automotive industry are taken seriously. A further step towards quality assurance and traffic safety has been achieved. The exchange should lead to better understanding and practical solutions not only in the short term, but also in the long term. Future developments in emissions testing and technical vehicle monitoring remain exciting to observe.

To learn more about the details of the events and the defect statistics, interested readers can view the reports and statistics on the following pages: car dealership, Motor vehicle MV, and Motor vehicle trade.