When insurance companies and dealerships are put in charge of motor vehicle technical inspections instead of the Interior Ministry, a certificate of conformance will cost no more than 2,000 rubles ($70), the Economic Development Ministry said.
President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a law transferring control over vehicle inspections from the Interior Ministry to the Russian Union of Automobile Insurers and mandating that an inspection certificate be required in order to obtain obligatory automobile insurance. The law will come into effect on Jan. 1.
"The maximum cost of a vehicle inspection today is estimated at 2,000 rubles," said Yevgeny Kovtun, a department deputy director at the Economic Development Ministry. Now, via official channels, the inspection certificate will cost much less.
There will be two ways to get one: via the Interior Ministry (by paying only the state duty of 600 rubles), and via commercial service providers licensed by the ministry (by paying the duty and for an instrument test — only 1,130 rubles). There are currently about 3,000 places to get a vehicle inspection — of them only 600 are run by the Interior Ministry.
The new price covers the more than 40 procedures performed at an inspection, Kovtun said. But that price may drop. In the fall, Kovtun said, the ministry will conduct a revision of the inspection guidelines and clarify whether all the procedures are necessary. As a result, he promised, the price will go down.
At dealerships the usual cost of a technical inspection is 700 rubles for domestic cars to 4,000 rubles for luxury vehicles, said Dmitry Gulin, a board member at Avtomir. Regardless of the price of an inspection, dealerships want to profit from the activity, he said.
Svetlana Nikitina, vice president of the Russian Union of Automobile Insurers, said the number of inspection providers will grow to 10,000.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
