EU plan could scrap your car at its MOT: green policy or control?

The EU is considering taking older cars off the road at inspection, with no chance of repair

Brussels has tabled a proposal that will ignite the debate over freedom of movement: permanently withdrawing vehicles from the road if, at their roadworthiness test, they fail to meet certain age or emissions standards, forcing owners to send them to the scrapyard with no option to repair. Presented under an environmental banner, the measure has drawn criticism from across the spectrum.

Property or ecology: the dilemma

The core of the plan is simple: when a car of a certain age goes in for inspection, its registration would be permanently withdrawn, with no possibility for the owner to repair it and keep it in use. Supporters argue that older vehicles are more polluting and less safe. Critics, however, say the measure abusa property rights and removes citizens' freedom to keep their car if it is in good condition.

Hidden agenda: favouring Chinese manufacturers?

One line of analysis suggests the real aim is to force fleet renewal to boost sales of new cars, especially electric ones, at a time when China dominates battery production and low-cost vehicles. "All very green and sustainable, so that more Chinese cars get sold," sums up one analysis pointing to geopolitical competition.

Class and mobility: the poor will be hit first

The shadow of economic discrimination hangs over the proposal. While politicians and senior officials will keep their high-end vehicles, middle- and lower-income classes, who rely on second-hand cars, would be the first to lose their means of transport. "You will own nothing and be happy," one comment ironically notes, capturing the suspicion that the goal is to restrict people's freedom of movement by pushing them onto public transport.

The debate leaves an uncomfortable question hanging: is the green transition being designed to be borne by those with the least?