Car inspection in 2026. Lauto driving school from Warsaw reveals what you should know before a technical inspection at the diagnostic station
Overview of the car in 2026. The Lauto driving school from Warsaw reveals what to know before a technical examination at the diagnostic station
Santa, waiting at the bus stops, dreamed of his car. For the first paycheck, he took a course for category B at a driving school from Warsaw. When he passed the exam on his first approach, he bought a used car. Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that in two weeks the deadline for mandatory inspection of the vehicle was running out.
So the boy went to the diagnostic station on the last day of the technical examination. The diagnostician took his registration certificate and collected a statutory fee of 149 zł in this case, and then proceeded to inspect the car. As it soon turned out, he detected a backlash at the end of the steering rod on the driver’s side.
This meant that the car received a negative inspection result. The young driver gained 14 extra days to go to the mechanic for repairs and back to the diagnostic station, where the check should be carried out again.
Before we explain how Santa’s story turned out, let’s answer key questions about official control.
How is the car and how long does it take to inspect the car? Driving school from Warsaw explains whether it can be done before the mandatory date
How to go through a technical examination at the diagnostic station step by step?
- Step 1. Self-checking the vehicle. Before going to the diagnostician, it is worth checking the lights, horn, wipers, washers and pressure of the tires and the condition of their tread, which should be at least 1.6 mm. In addition, a trusted mechanic should examine the clearances in the suspension, remove leaks or replace operating fluids (for example, engine oil, brake fluid or washer fluid) and all filters. According to the law, when we have a car older than 5 years, we must perform the inspection regularly every 12 months (before the end of the year). In the case of new cars from the dealership, the first technical control must be done in 3 years, and the second in 2 years after the first. Then you have to watch it every year.
- Step 2. Official examination at the Primary or District Vehicle Control Station. It is worth making an appointment with a diagnostician for a specific day. Although we can come sooner than the statutory deadline, let’s not do that. This does not pay off, because the time for further inspection will be reduced. Obligatory it must take place exactly 12 months later, so if we rushed, it would be earlier compared to the previous date of the review. You should take your registration certificate with you, and if our car is equipped with an LPG or hook, it is also approval and legalization documentation. The diagnostician will verify whether the VIN number is the same as the registration certificate and will check the LPG installation, if we have one. Then he will check the car’s layouts and components. In total, it will take him from 15 to 30 minutes.
- Step 3. The result. If the diagnostician does not detect any defects or finds minor defects, he will inform us about it and of course insert the stamp into the proof (if there is still a place) and will include information about the positive result of the inspection in the CEPiK system. However, if he discovers serious weaknesses, i.e. those that may affect driving safety and the environment, he will set us a deadline of 14 days for the repair of the car. In the case of dangerous damage, i.e. posing a threat on the road, he will take our registration certificate and we will have to tow the car to the mechanic. In a situation where we have assistance and it is not an operational fault (e.g. oil leakage), but a sudden (e.g. spring rupture), we can use the towing paid for by the insurance company.
- Step 4. Re-diagnostic examination. Once we have dealt with the repair, we should return to the SKP, where the diagnostician will check whether the fault has been removed. If we arrive there after a deadline of 14 days (from the date of the review), we will pay the maximum amount again.
How much does official vehicle inspection cost? Driving school from Warsaw presents the price list for 2026
The cost of mandatory inspection of the technical condition of each means of transport is determined in advance and applies throughout Poland. In addition, there is no reionization, so we can use both the diagnostic station in the capital and in a small town. Here are some examples of amounts for a full and partial diagnosis:
How much is the price for a vehicle inspection in 2026?
- Overview of the passenger car: 149 zł.
- Moped review: 76 zł.
- Motorcycle review: 94 zł.
- The setting and intensity of driving beams and passing beams, checking the toxicity of the exhaust gas or the operation of shock absorbers of one axle: 21 zł for re-examination when our car has not passed the official control (time to implement: 14 days).
- Effectiveness and uniformity of brakes, combination of steering and sterile wheel movement or noise level: 30 zł for rechecking (within 14 days).
- Geometry of wheels of one axis: 55 zł for re-examination within 14 days.
- Towbar inspection: 53 zł for cars that do not have an appropriate annotation in the proof.
- Control of LPG installation: 96 zł.
What faults cause a negative result of a technical examination of the car? Driving school from Warsaw indicates what the diagnostician checks
Now we will explain what is specifically subject to the assessment of the authorized specialist and what are the most common causes of a negative result.
What controls the diagnostician?
- Efficacy and uniformity of brakes.
- Looseness in rubber-metal suspension elements.
- Correct operation of lighting, no damage to the headlights.
- State of thresholds, frames and shafts.
- Seatbelts.
- Emission of pollutants.
- Technical condition and noise level of the exhaust system.
- Is there a warning triangle and a fire extinguisher?
- Connection status, wear and volume of idle steering.
- Tread depth and tire wear.
What are the most common causes of a negative review result?
- Faulty lights.
- Burnt-out light bulbs.
- Tyre consumption.
- Leaky braking system.
- Suspension clearance.
- Corrosion of the chassis.
- Exploitation fluid leaks.
What are the consequences of driving without a valid registration test? Driving school from Warsaw informs how much the ticket is
Although there is no higher fee for the review after the deadline, it is worth not passing it. This is what can happen to us when we fail to do this duty.
What consequences will we suffer for the lack of official control of the car?
- First of all, the owner of the vehicle (and not the driver) is threatened with a fine of 1500 to 5000 zł.
- Secondly, the police can keep our registration certificate.
- Third, an officer can tow the car at our expense if he believes it endangers road safety.
- Fourthly, in the event of an accident or collision, there may be problems with the payment of insurance, even if we are not the ones to blame.
It is worth mentioning that at any time we can check whether our car has a valid inspection and liability insurance. It is enough that we enter the following data on the government website: registration numbers and VIN, as well as the date of the first registration of our car.
Summary. Driving school from Warsaw indicates what to do when our car does not undergo a technical examination
Now back to the history of Santa. The young driver’s car did not undergo an inspection. The diagnostician pointed to the need to replace the steering rod tip on the driver’s side.
The boy received a certificate from SKP about the negative result of the inspection. Although this information should be available in the system, it took the print just in case the police stopped it.
The certificate included the following information: reading the vehicle mileage counter at the time of verification, the defects found and their categories and the legal basis informing that the driver has 14 days to remove these defects.
The driver drove to a trusted mechanic who said he would replace not only one terminal of the control rod, but two on both sides to preserve their convergence. After picking up the car, the boy returned to the diagnostic station, where he made a partial review at the price of 30 zł.
Unfortunately, the diagnostician revealed the lie of the mechanic, who listed only one tip and in addition not the one indicated as defective. Santa was upset because the man took the money for both. When he tried to call him, his phone was silent.
The head of the driving school “Lauto” from Warsaw, where the boy was doing the course, recommended him another service technician, who replaced the correct tip and this time the car underwent a review, which cost again 149 zł, because the deadline of 14 days for the elimination of the fault has already passed. He charged the date from the date of the failure, not from the day of its repair and re-examination of the car.
