The Technical Vehicle Inspection (ITV) is something that does not worry drivers who have just bought a new car. However, as soon as a car is four years old from its first registration, it is time to pass the exam that certifies that it meets the technical conditions required to travel safely on the road. From this first examination, the inspection will be biennial until the car turns 10 years old, at which time it will become annual.
If the vehicle obtains a favorable rating, it will receive the adhesive sticker that certifies its validity for circulation. This badge, called the V-19 sign, must be located in the upper right corner of the windshield. If you do not do so, the driver is exposed to a fine of 100 euros, although it does not entail retraction of points.
The ITV sticker can have three different colors: yellow, red or green. The tone does not depend on any peculiarity of tourism, but on the year in which the validity of the inspection expires. Thanks to this feature, traffic officers can check at a quick glance whether the inspection is in force or not, although to corroborate this they will have to look carefully at other data reflected in the document.
Thus, the largest number that appears on the sticker, located above the constitutional shield, indicates the last two figures of the year in which the inspection expires. For its part, the Roman numerals drilled with a drill correspond to the month of expiration. Finally, the sticker also includes the number of the ITV station where the inspection was carried out, the coat of arms of the autonomous community where it is located and the ITV logo in lower case.
As mentioned, MOT stickers can be yellow, red or green, depending on the year in which the validity period of the inspection expires. These are rotated in the same order each year and the assignment of colors dates back 25 years.
The yellow color corresponds to the inspections that will cease to be in force in the years 2023, 2026 and 2029. For its part, the red sticker designates the expiration of the ITV in 2024, 2027 and 2030. Finally, the green sticker indicates the cessation valid in the years 2025, 2028 and 2031.
In accordance with this regulation, all cars that currently display a red sticker must undergo the technical vehicle inspection again in the year we are about to begin. Likewise, those who pass it with a favorable result will receive a sticker whose color will depend on when they must take the exam again, depending on the age of their car.
