Mechanical Inspection

Vehicles Required to Undergo Mechanical Inspections

 Certain vehicles must undergo mechanical inspections, either occasionally or periodically, i.e. every 6 or 12 months.

Occasional mechanical inspection

The following vehicles must undergo a mechanical inspection before being put into operation or put back into operation:

  • hand-crafted vehicles
  • used vehicles from outside Québec
  • severely damaged vehicles that have been rebuilt and for which a technical compliance certificate has been issued
  • vehicles stored for more than 12 months
  • discarded vehicles
  • vehicles that have not been authorized for operation on public roads for more than 12 months
  • vehicles registered for off-road use whose owners wish to operate them again on public roads
  • used minibuses reserved for the personal use of large families (at least 9 family members)
  • used trucks whose cab, hood, front axle and chassis have been replaced by a glider kit
  • military vehicles whose configuration is similar to the configuration of a vehicle intended for travel on public roadways and whose owner wishes to operate them on roads with a maximum speed limit of 70 km/h
  • military vehicles for which a favourable assessment by an engineer (form entitled Déclaration de l’ingénieur (PDF, 116 KB) (in French only) has been issued in order to be operated on all public roadways

Other cases where an occasional mechanical inspection may be required

  • The vehicle has been modified
  • The SAAQ considers the vehicle to be dangerous
  • A peace officer has grounds to believe that the vehicle is in such poor condition that it is dangerous

Vehicles exempted from occasional mechanical inspection

The following vehicles are exempted from having to undergo occasional mechanical inspections, regardless of their status or condition:

  • snowblowers
  • tool vehicles
  • trailers weighing 900 kg or less
  • snowmobiles
  • motorized all-terrain vehicles
  • all-terrain motorcycles
  • farm tractors

Mandatory periodic mechanical inspections

6 months

  • Buses
  • Minibuses (except those reserved for the personal use of large families (at least 9 family members))
  • Vehicles used by driving schools, with the exception of motorcycles and mopeds or motorized scooters
  • Vehicles used to transport school children
  • Vehicles that are between 8 and 10 years old and authorized to be used to provide remunerated passenger transportation services

12 months

  • Vehicles that are between 4 and 7 years old and authorized to be used to provide remunerated passenger transportation services
    • If the vehicle has more than 80,000 km on the odometer before being 4 years old, mechanical inspections are mandatory.
    • Vehicle inspections are mandatory every 12 months or 60,000 km.
  • Emergency vehicles, with the exception of buses and minibuses recognized by the SAAQ as emergency vehicles, as the latter are required to undergo a mechanical inspection every 6 months
  • Motorcycles, mopeds and motorized scooters used by driving schools
  • Tow trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 4,500 kg
  • Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight ratingA vehicle's weight, including its maximum load capacity, according to the manufacturer's specifications. of 4,500 kg or more, except for:
    • detachable axles
    • vehicles with a net weightWeight of the vehicle and the equipment permanently attached to it, excluding the weight of its load. of 4,000 kg or less that originally had an open truck box and a tailgate (pickup truck) and are registered as passenger vehicles
    • sport utility vehicles with a net weight of 4,000 kg or less
    • motor homesA motor vehicle permanently converted into living quarters.
    • house trailers
    • tool vehiclesA road vehicle, other than a vehicle mounted on a truck chassis, designed to perform a task and having a workstation integrated into the cab. A truck chassis is a frame fitted with the mechanical components found on a vehicle made for the transportation of passengers, freight or equipment.
    • construction trailers
    • farm trailersA trailer with a net weight of 2,300 kg or less owned by a farmer and used primarily to carry farm produce or the equipment required to produce it.
    • farm machinery

Refer to the Mandatory Periodic Mechanical Inspection section for more information.

Preventative maintenance program (PMP)

Owners of vehicles required to undergo periodic mechanical inspections can ask us to recognize their PMP in order to have it replace the periodic inspections.

New vehicles

It is not necessary for new vehicles to undergo mechanical inspections since inspections are required 6 to 12 months after the date on which the vehicles are put into operation, depending on the type of vehicle.

Exception in the case of new heavy vehicles

New heavy vehiclesA road vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,500 kg or more, or a combination of road vehicles having a gross combination weight rating of 4,500 kg or more. The following vehicles are also considered to be heavy vehicles regardless of their GVWR: buses, minibuses, tow trucks, vehicles transporting dangerous substances requiring the display of safety marks. that must operate in other Canadian jurisdictions or in the United States must undergo a mechanical inspection as soon as they are purchased and obtain an inspection sticker, unless their owners have a recognized PMP.

Vehicles Exempted from periodic mechanical inspections

The following vehicles are not required to undergo periodic mechanical inspections:

  • motor homes
  • house trailers, camping trailers, tent trailers
  • tool vehicles
  • farm tractors
  • farm machinery
  • trailers weighing 900 kg or less
  • construction trailers
  • farm trailers
  • snowblowers
  • snowmobiles
  • motorized all-terrain vehicules
  • all-terrain motorcycles

Last update: March 30, 2021