The Automobile Club Luxembourg (ACL) has spoken out against the 40% price increase of the technical inspection test, referred to as the 'contrôle technique'.
As of 1 February, technical inspections offered by the SNCT are more than 40% more expensive than they used to be. For the list of price changes, have a look at our article detailing all the new prices.
SNCT: Technical inspection prices increased by 40%
The announcement was met by a considerable amount of criticism from both the ACL and many of its members. Indeed, the ACL has called the move a political manoeuvre intended to discourage driving. A spokesperson explained that its members were right to be outraged, as the price increase was a clear political move.
The spokesperson continued to say that despite the liberalisation of technical inspections, the SNCT is predominantly controlled by the state. The ACL acknowledged that this may have been a decision taken as a reaction to the market and the costs that the SNCT will face, but the ACL is steadfast that the government has ulterior motives.
The ACL cited three reasons for this suspicion: first, the need for the SNCT to increase prices is not a sudden phenomenon. Instead, the club believes the price increase was ostensibly pushed through after the legislative elections. Second, the decision has a clear political undertone considering the government's increased drive to discourage the use of cars despite there being no viable alternative at the current moment. Finally, the club believes the significant increase is questionable as it is not accompanied by visible improvements to the service, unlike in 2016.
A free market issue?
In its outcry, the ACL stressed that technical inspections are mandatory for car-owners rather than a choice. Further to that, the club's spokesperson explained that despite the liberalisation of the market, there are only two actors in the sector in Luxembourg. The club hopes that the government will not explicitly create hurdles for any potential competitors in the market.
Finally, the ACL called for the government to cease penalising motorists and suspend any further increases which would affect those who do not have the options of changing cars, which would allow them to delay the technical inspection by four years or benefit from a subsidy for a more environmentally-friendly car. Further to that, the ACL believes that the government should suspend further increases that affect those who do not have the possibility to go to technical inspections, due to difficult working hours or jobs that are incompatible with public transport.
