In February, Austrians will face changes in the “Pickerl” for their cars

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The §57a certificate will have a new layout and a QR code printed, ÖAMTC reported on Monday. With the help of this QR code, an electronic version of the expert opinion can be retrieved from the central database free of charge. The new regulation will take effect on February 2.

According to ÖAMTC, these changes bring advantages for consumers: “The QR code on the §57a appraisal brings security in particular when buying a used car. This makes it very easy to check the authenticity of the appraisal,” explains ÖAMTC technician Andrej Prosenc.

At the same time, a new inspection item is being introduced. The eCall system, mandatory in all vehicles since 2018, must be checked as part of the §57a appraisal. eCall is an in-vehicle emergency call system introduced in the EU. The automatic “emergency call column” in the car is intended to significantly reduce the time between the accident and the arrival of the emergency services.

A second change will become effective in the spring: From May 20, 2023, in the course of the §57a appraisal, a recording of the mileage and consumption data of vehicles with first registration from January 1, 2021, must be made. This data, including the vehicle identification number, is sent to a central database of the Ministry of Transport and, from there, forwarded to the European Environment Agency. The first objective: is to determine whether the consumption values measured during vehicle approval are being complied with. ÖAMTC supports the plan for a transparent and comparable presentation of the average consumption of individual vehicle models but is strictly opposed to allocating individual consumption figures to traceable vehicle data, such as the vehicle identification number.