Hi Will,

Random 10 (say) -year-old car presented for MoT, the tester is going to know its precise original equipment? With respect, dream on ...

The range of maker- and dealer-fitted options is vast, 99% of vehicles aren't modified beyond them, these owners are going to sit still for a vast increase in the MoT fee on the off-chance a tester has to research a vehicle's manufacturer- and dealer-fitted options years before, on the off-chance some miniscule percentage of "tamperers" can be caught?

As I say, the regulation'll go on the statute book because politicians always want to be seen to be Doing Something, it'll make as much difference to real life as Bozo going to a hairdresser.