Vehicle inspection

All vehicles with registration plates with inspection criteria must be inspected regularly at the next inspection station.

The responsibility for taking a vehicle under inspection lies with:

• by the registered operator, if the vehicle has one,

• otherwise the owner is responsible.

Inspection period

The sticker on the vehicle plate (inspection sticker) indicates the next inspection year (last two digits of the year). The next inspection year depends on the type and age of the vehicle, for example:

• Normal passenger cars, vans and motorcycles are supposed to be inspected for the first time after four years, then every two years twice and finally every year thereafter.

• Larger vehicles, such as buses, trucks and their trailers, are to be inspected annually.

• Classic vehicles and camper trailers are to be inspected every two years.

Generally, vehicles shall be inspected during the month of inspection. The month of inspection within the inspection year is usually shown on the last digit on the plate:

• If the last digit is a number, it represents the month of inspection. Thus, 1 is January, 2 is February and 0 is October.

• If the last digit is a letter, then May is the month of inspection.

• Classic vehicles, camper cars, camper trailers and all motorcycles have the inspection month of May.

You can still take your vehicle for an inspection both before and after the inspection month (within the inspection year).

• Vehicles may be inspected up to 6 months before the inspection month (within the inspection year) and up to 2 months after the inspection month.

• Vehicles may be inspected as early as January if the vehicle got valid inspection before 1 November of the year before.

If you have not inspected the vehicle two months after the inspection month in the inspection year, you will have to pay negligence fee (vanrækslugjald).

Exception on time limit for inspections

No extended period is granted to bring your vehicle for inspection, except if the owner of the vehicle:

• lives more than 80 kilometres from the nearest inspection office and have not had the opportunity to bring the vehicle for inspection within the time limit.

In such cases, the owner can be granted an additional period of 2 months by filling in the form for postponement or cancellation of a neglect charge. The request must have been received before the period for inspecting the vehicle expires.

The result of the inspection

After the inspection you will receive an inspection certificate confirming that the vehicle has been inspected. It contains the conclusion of the inspection which may be:

• No comments - regulatory minimum requirements for the condition of the vehicle met

• Minor comments - within 30 days all comments should be corrected

• Major comments - all comments should be immediately corrected

• Driving ban - use not authorized

When the result is minor comments

The use of the vehicle should be conducted in accordance with the comments made until complete repair has been made. You have 30 days to complete that repair and do not need to take the vehicle to the inspection post after repair.

When the result is major comments

Major deficiencies have now been identified which can affect the safety of the vehicle or the environment and require immediate repair. Therefore it is vital to conduct the use of the vehicle in accordance with the comments made until a full repair has been carried out.

You are then obliged to take the vehicle to re-inspection to an inspection station or to an approved re-inspection workshop before the expiry of the period. The period is always granted until the end of the following month. However, you can apply for a 30 day extension of the period but must do so before the issued period for review expires. Such an extension is applied for by the inspection office and is granted only in the following cases:

• when it is not possible to supply spare parts for the repair of a vehicle, or

• when you cannot get a time for a vehicle at the repair shop.

When the result is a driving ban

When the result is a driving ban, the use of the vehicle is prohibited. It is also prohibited to register the vehicle in traffic or to hand over registration plates if they were in the input. There are two reasons for a driving ban:

• Something is considered to be serious about the vehicle that seriously threatens the ability to drive or the safety of driving the vehicle and not safe to allow its continued use.

• The police have removed the license plates from the vehicle due to defects or condition, or have called it for an inspection due to malfunction and the inspection reveals major or serious comments. In this case, maintenance or inspection has not been carried out, or the vehicle has been changed in an unauthorized way, and it is necessary to stop its use until it has been repaired.

It is prohibited to use a vehicle under a driving ban, with these exceptions:

• It is possible to move trailer, including caravan and camper trailer, the shortest way to the repair site and for inspection.

• It can drive a vehicle with its own engine power after completing a full repair, from the repair site and the shortest way to inspection.

Cancelled an inspection that has not been completed

An inspection can be stopped but never after it has been completed. An inspection cannot be stopped if a serious infraction has been found which results in a driving ban. The inspection office notifies the Icelandic Transport Authority, which examines the reasons for the rejection of an inspection and possibly takes measures.

Good to keep in mind for an opinion

You can easily check several items on your vehicle before it is inspected. This can save both time and costs.

• Check the lights, see if all the lights are on and don't forget the license plate lights. About one-fifth of cars get a note about a license plate light problem.

• Check if the windscreen wipers are getting poor and have them replaced if they don't work properly.

• Check if there are cracks or breaks in the windscreen and have it replaced if there is such a thing in the driver's field of vision.

• Review all the safety belts and their locks. Remove child seats or be sure how to unlock them during the inspection. The inspector must have good access to all of them.

• Do not have the car full of stuff that can interfere with the inspection. The inspector must have normal access to all controls and safety equipment throughout the car.

• If there is a removable coupling equipment (it is possible to snap the ball off) then the tow hook must be present at the inspection because the inspector must connect it and measure it. It must also be possible to snap the ball off during the inspection if it obscures the registration mark.

• It is also a good time to use this opportunity to find the warning triangle that should be in every car.

• If the vehicle has electric brakes, the inspector must be able to access the steering system. On tour buses, the inspector is sometimes in a compartment that must be unlocked so that the inspector can access it.

• If you are taking a motorcycle for inspection, the inspector may request that you drive it during a brake test outside the station.

Good to consider after an inspection

When the inspection is complete, the settings of seats, mirrors and light switches may have changed. It is therefore good to carefully review these items outside the plane after the inspection so that nothing unexpected will occur during the driving.

Remember that it is

• The owner (operator) of the vehicle responsible for its legally registered condition; and

• The driver must also ensure that the vehicle he is driving is in good condition. In particular, he must ensure that the steering, braking and lighting and signalling equipment, as well as the safety and security equipment of the vehicle, is in the state prescribed by law and functions safely. The same applies to the trailer, as well as the connection between the vehicle and the trailer and the coupling device.

To follow up on this responsibility of the owner and driver, the government is required to carry out regular inspections of vehicles. Now one such inspection has been completed and hopefully it has been successful.

• If no comments have been made, this means that the government's minimum requirements for the condition of the vehicle have been met. This does not mean that the vehicle is in perfect condition.

• If there are comments, it is important to repair as soon as possible and to use the vehicle in accordance with the comments until the full repair has been done.