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The periodic test: MFK, HU and Pickerl

Every registered vehicle has to be presented for testing at regular intervals — only the test has a different name in each country, and so do the intervals. What is checked is essentially the same everywhere: brakes, steering, suspension, lighting, tyres, emissions and the body for structural corrosion. Most failures involve lighting and brakes, and both can be checked beforehand.

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What it covers

  • A pre-check at the workshop before the appointment — it saves the retest
  • Complete lighting, including number plate and fog lamps
  • Braking performance on the rig, even across both sides of an axle
  • Tread depth, tyre age, and the correct tyre size per the documents
  • Emissions values and readiness codes in the control unit
  • Corrosion on load-bearing parts and at suspension and seat-belt mounting points

What to bring

  • The vehicle registration document
  • The summons, where the authority sends one
  • Documentation for any modifications that are registered
  • For an imported car, the individual approval paperwork

Intervals by country

Switzerland

MFK

In Switzerland the periodic test is the Motorfahrzeugkontrolle, or MFK. A new passenger car is first presented after four years, then after a further three, and every two years thereafter. The cantonal road traffic office issues the summons.

Germany

HU/AU

In Germany it is the Hauptuntersuchung, colloquially the TÜV. A newly registered passenger car is first presented after three years, then every two years. The emissions test forms part of it.

Austria

Pickerl

In Austria the § 57a test is colloquially the Pickerl. For passenger cars the 3-2-1 rule applies: first after three years, then after a further two, and annually thereafter.

Worth knowing

When buying used, how long the test still runs is a price factor many overlook. A car due for testing in two months can bring an invoice that only surfaces after the purchase — which is why the date of the next test belongs on every sensible checklist, and the answer is in the registration document.

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