The AA is warning motorists they could face significant delays if they wait for the government’s October 10 deadline to renew their car’s Warrant of Fitness (WoF).

The NZ Transport Agency today confirmed that vehicle owners with warrants that expired this year will still have until October 10 to get their checks done.

AA Motoring Services General Manager Jonathan Sergel says the move affects hundreds of thousands of cars currently on the road with expired WoFs.

“We’re not talking small numbers here – there are motorists from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South currently driving around with expired WoFs,” he says.

“We appreciate many motorists were relieved when the temporary extension was announced in April, but now all our sites are fully operational, we urge them to come in now  rather than wait for the October deadline.

“If everyone waits until October, we anticipate there’ll be queues everywhere and long wait times. And that won’t just be a one time thing – the rush will happen again in six or 12 months when renewals come up again.”

Jonathan says the AA is also concerned some motorists may currently be driving unsafe vehicles. 

“We know there are motorists who have been diligently ensuring their cars are roadworthy, but we also know many motorists treat getting a WoF as their default safety check.

“If you fall into the second camp and your car’s WoF expired in January, you could potentially have been driving an unsafe vehicle for seven months now - which is very concerning.”

The October 10 document extension also applies to Certificate of Fitness (CoFs), driver licences, endorsement, vehicle licences (regos) and some vehicle certifications that expired this year.

To book a WoF or CoF at an AA Motoring site, motorists can call 0800 456 654 or go to aa.co.nz/book-a-service

To renew their driver licence, motorists can go to their local AA Centre, AA Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agent or Rural Mobile unit.