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Malaga is the fourth-placed province in Spain with the highest percentage of vehicles that do not have a valid ITV technical inspection certificate, latest data shows.
A total of 8.9% of registered vehicles do not have the vital roadworthy check, according to a study carried out by the Informes Mecánicos portal, based on DGT data.
There are only three places where drivers are less responsible, including Melilla and Ceuta. In Melilla, 16.8% of vehicles do not have an ITV, followed by Ceuta (12.4%) and Alicante (9.8%). Malaga is the leading province in the Andalucía region without an ITV, ahead of Almeria (8.6%), Seville (7%), Granada (6.6%), Huelva (also 6.6%), Cadiz (6.3%), Cordoba (5.1%) and Jaén (4.4%).
If the ITV sticker is considered a signpost for road safety, Malaga does not fare any better, particularly for two-wheeled vehicles. The figures show that 22.5% of motorbikes in the province do not have a valid ITV. Compared to the rest of Andalucía, only Cordoba, with 22.2%, has a lower figure than Malaga. Almeria recorded the worst figure (26.3%), followed by Seville (25.5%), Huelva (24.2%), Cadiz (23.1%), Granada (23%) and Jaen (22.6%).
According to experts, the province's average age of vehicles could influence the data, which in 2022 stood at 13.6 years, one of the oldest in Europe.
Malaga Automotive Association president Carlos Oliva pointed out that "new cars have become more expensive and more people are finding it difficult to afford them". The consequence is an ageing vehicle fleet and more cars circulating without a valid ITV. "We see it every day in our workshops. People come in because they have failed their ITV, but they can't afford to pay for the repair. Many continue to drive and risk a fine," he said.
The difficulty in accessing a car has also led to increased investment in repairing vehicles, even on extremely old cars. "We see how they ask you to carry out repairs for 3,000 euros on cars that are perhaps 20 years old," Oliva said. "We have a big problem. The ITV is not a trivial matter. Nobody just deems your car unroadworthy just because. Road safety is the big loser."
In Malaga there are 71,516 cars without a valid ITV, 38,693 motorbikes and 35,496 other vehicles resulting in a total of 145,615, the figures show. The province is closely followed by Seville (62,086) and Cadiz (34,786). Nationally, the province with the fewest cars without a valid ITV is Soria, with 1,856.
For many drivers, a visit to the ITV station is like a visit to the dentist. Jesús Carrión is one of the mechanics at Talleres Carrión in Cártama. He has decades of experience behind him and knows the main reasons for a failed ITV. "The first test they do is the exhaust gas test. That's where most of the problems occur," he told SUR.
"We have special machinery that leaves the car almost as good as new," he said. For almost all customers who arrive with a negative ITV, there is usually a solution. "It is very rare that we have to tell the customer that the fault that has been found cannot be fixed," Carrión said. He said he has also noticed that in recent years, owners have been trying to "stretch" the life of their cars. "New cars have become very expensive and it is normal for many to try to hold out," he added.
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