Peeters determined to break up car inspection center monopoly

Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) will break up the monopoly of car inspection centers in Flanders. In the future, drivers will be allowed to have repairs for certain minor defects carried out by their own garages without having to present themselves again for the technical inspection afterward.

In concrete terms, the current centers will be allowed to open car inspection centers anywhere in Flanders. The Minister also hopes to attract new players: companies active in the automotive industry, wishing to operate an inspection center.

Poor customer service

Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) is fed up with the problems at the technical car inspection centers. The queues are getting longer and longer, and drivers often do not succeed in getting their vehicles inspected on time.

On top of that, complaints are piling up about the lack of respect for vehicles, poor customer service, and a lack of clarification or too general a description of an identified problem.

Audit

In the summer of 2022, Minister Peeters decided to organize an audit of the operation and customer satisfaction of inspection centers after the complaints piled up.

Based on the results, Minister Peeters is currently studying with all parties involved how to evolve toward a high-performance and customer-oriented system that is also prepared to quickly absorb market changes.

‘Sacred cows’

“We must have the guts to attack sacred cows,” Lydia Peeters said. “The current system has led to a monopoly of a limited number of companies, which is unhealthy. We will create a landscape with room for new players by abolishing the administrative areas in the long term. Of course, they must also guarantee an objective, qualitative, and customer-oriented inspection.”

In addition, a number of relaxations on sanction codes have been applied since May to reduce the number of re-inspections. Because many people are still unable to make an appointment in time, the late fee was also canceled in mid-June for people who present their vehicle a maximum of one month late.

Despite the critical view of the recognized institutions, Minister Peeters underlines the importance of the technical inspection from the point of view of road safety, the environment, and consumer protection.