Re-inspection after a failed EU inspection

What is a re-inspection after a failed EU inspection?

A re-inspection is the follow-up check a car must pass after failing its EU inspection. The inspector checks only the items that failed — not the whole car again. That makes it quicker and cheaper than a full inspection.

With us a re-inspection normally takes 15–30 minutes, depending on how many items need verifying. You can wait at the workshop while we do it.

How long after the EU inspection can you have the re-inspection?

The deadline is two months from the date of the original EU inspection. Within that window you can come whenever you like — there is no waiting period to observe, so you can turn up the same day the faults are repaired.

Miss the deadline and Statens vegvesen begins deregistration of the vehicle. A re-inspection is then no longer enough: the car needs a completely new, full EU inspection, and you pay a fee to get it registered again. That is a considerably more expensive route than meeting the deadline.

Unsure which date applies? It is printed on the inspection report you received. You can also look the vehicle up by registration number.

What happens at a re-inspection?

The inspector verifies that each failed item has actually been repaired, and files the result directly with Statens vegvesen. Every item on the report must be fixed before you arrive — if only some of them are, the car cannot be approved.

If the work was done at another workshop, bring the receipt. It documents what was done, but the inspector still has to verify the repair — a receipt alone is not enough for approval.

Can you get new defects at a re-inspection?

Yes. The re-inspection concentrates on the failed items, but the inspector is obliged to act on anything obviously unsafe, even if it was not on the original report. If the car has stood unused for a while, or weeks have passed since the first inspection, something can change — a tyre that has lost pressure, a bulb that has blown.

In practice it is rare. The most common reason a re-inspection does not go through is that one of the original items was not repaired well enough.

What does a re-inspection cost?

A re-inspection typically costs around half of a full EU inspection, because we spend less time and check only the relevant items. The price varies with the number and type of items — contact us for a specific figure.

Have both the repair and the re-inspection done with us the same day and you avoid a second trip, and we can often give a combined price lower than doing the two separately. The fee for the original inspection is not refunded — you pay for the inspection, not the result.

Does the re-inspection have to be at the same place?

No. You are free to choose any approved inspection body in Norway. We are happy to take cars that failed at other workshops — bring the inspection report and we find the rest in the Statens vegvesen system by registration number.

What do the defect groups mean?

The group a finding falls into determines whether you need a re-inspection at all:

• Group 1 — minor defect. The car passes. You are obliged to fix the fault, but there is no re-inspection.
• Group 2 — major defect. The car fails, and this is the group that triggers a re-inspection within the two-month deadline. You may drive the car in the meantime.
• Group 3 — dangerous defect. The car fails and is banned from use. It must not be driven until repaired — not even to the workshop without arrangement.

The most common reasons for failing

Brakes, lights and corrosion in load-bearing parts account for most of the failures we see. On electric cars the electronic parking brake is a frequent repeat offender — it needs diagnostic equipment to check and adjust, which we have. Work through the pre-inspection checklist next time and you cut the odds of another round.

Repair and re-inspection in one place

We are a full-service workshop as well as an approved inspection body. That means we can repair what failed and run the re-inspection in the same visit — no driving between a workshop and an inspection body. You always get a price and an estimate before we do anything.

Book a re-inspection online, or call +47 41 17 32 24. We are based at Bekkeveien 11 in Sandefjord. If you are close to the two-month deadline, say so when you call — we prioritise cars at risk of losing their plates.