According to the official plans of the Ministry of Reconstruction, the technical inspection reform has two key goals. First, to simplify the first registration of used cars by replacing the infamous certification with a "first technical inspection." Second, to gradually introduce mandatory inspection for all types of transport.
We at the Institute for Automotive Market Research have analyzed this initiative. On paper, everything looks logical: Ukraine is heading towards the EU, where technical inspection is mandatory and has no alternative. But the devil, as always, is in the details and our past experience.
Certification vs Technical Control
Today, certification of imported cars often resembles buying a sheet of A4 paper for $100. This is a bureaucratic rudiment that checks paper "Euro" standards, but turns a blind eye to cut-out catalysts and "American" red turns.
Replacing this process with a real technical inspection is a step towards civilization. If a car is in good condition, brakes well, and doesnʼt poison others with smoke, it gets the right to live. This is understandable logic that works in Poland or Germany.
The Ghost of 2011 and the "20 Euro in an Ashtray"
The main fear of a Ukrainian driver is not faulty brakes, but corruption. Everyone remembers the days of the traffic police, when they passed the technical inspection without leaving the yard, simply handing over "two hundred hryvnias" to the right people.
Even in Europe, corruption in this area exists (remember the legends about “20 euros in an ashtray” at Lithuanian stations), but it is marginal there. In Ukraine, the risk that the OTC will turn into a new air tax remains high. There is only one way out: total digitalization, video recording of the process, and strict liability of service stations. If a station issued a protocol for a faulty car, it should lose its license forever.
Ladas and "batkas" from the USA
We canʼt just copy the German TUV. We have our own context:
- Old fleet: Almost 17% of our fleet is a Soviet legacy. These cars donʼt need a technical inspection, but "psychological support."
- Market specifics: Ukraine is a country of "beats" from the US and electric cars from China. Tens of thousands of cars have lighting equipment that does not meet European standards.
- Conflict of interest: Can the service station that repairs your car also inspect it? In Europe, these are separate entities. Here, itʼs still an open question.
The 2026 reform is a political challenge. The topic of technical inspection is as complicated as "Euro-badges". It can either make our roads safer or become another reason for protests.
Watch the full version of the expert analysis of the initiative in the video:
