if they were to make a rule change it should be that a 3yo car must be able to pass its first MOT first time (sans brake pads/discs/consumables).
if a manufacturer has too many strikes against them then their 3 year rule is lowered to 1 or 2 until they can show that their cars are safe during their initial period on the road. i'd also make it mandatory that the dealership cannot be linked to the first MOT inspection.
as for high mileage cars needing to be tested - i totally disagree. the high mileage cars are the ones that are probably okay as their high maileage has simply been gained going up and down the motorways. so there is very little wear on their brakes, clutches tend to be okay, steering and everything to do with steering are okay, emissions are okay because the car has been used regulary and so forth. they also tend to of been maintained very highly as the owner puts a premium on reliability.
the cars that need MOTing after a year are the ones that are truly thrashed from the start and lets face it - we all have a firend who cannot drive to save their life and take it out on the car. (eg change up at 4k, sharp braking, unprogressive steering, holding high revs for no reason whatsoever, kerbing the car, etc.)
