Senior officials at Transport Malta have expressed frustration over what they described as a “spectacular” U-turn by Transport Minister Chris Bonett, who reversed an anticipated reform aimed at curbing abuse of vintage car exemptions on Maltese roads.
Just days after announcing a change to the eligibility age for vintage or classic cars to qualify for road licence fee exemptions — from 30 to 35 years — Bonett backtracked and issued a public apology.
He admitted to “jumping the gun” and acknowledged that he “failed to consult” before making the announcement. Bonett told The Times of Malta that the decision was a mistake and that he intended to support vintage car enthusiasts.
However, the abrupt reversal sparked anger among Transport Malta officials, who described the minister to The Shift as “unprepared for any reform that might cost him a few votes.”
“This was a simple and small measure proposed by Transport Malta to address the rampant and known abuse of vintage car licensing,” a senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“While Bonett initially accepted it and promptly announced it, he reversed his position just hours later after receiving some negative feedback on social media.”
“Bonett has failed his first small test miserably,” said another official. “One can only imagine our expectations with more challenging but necessary measures to tackle abuse and reduce the number of cars on Malta’s roads.”
The Shift has learned that both Transport Malta and the Transport Ministry have been aware of ongoing abuse involving vintage car regulations for years.
Under a measure introduced in 2003, vintage cars older than 30 years are exempt from regular road licence fees and instead pay a nominal annual administration fee of €8.
These vehicles are issued special black licence plates and must meet conditions such as being driven no more than 3,000 kilometres per year and maintaining their original manufacturing condition without modifications.
However, enforcement of these regulations has been lax. Although the original intent was to benefit a few hundred genuine classic car collectors who often invest heavily in their hobby, the system has reportedly been exploited by thousands.
According to internal Transport Malta reports, many individuals have imported old second-hand vehicles and registered them as vintage, even when they do not meet the criteria.
These include trucks and commercial vans used for daily business purposes by self-employed workers such as plasterers, construction workers and mechanics.
According to internal Transport Malta reports estimate that seven out of every 10 vintage vehicles on Maltese roads do not comply with the regulations.
When questioned in Parliament, Bonett did not disclose the total number of vintage cars currently licensed. However, estimates suggest the number could be as high as 18,000.
The withdrawn vintage car reform was one of several initiatives Bonett has promoted as part of his “grand plan” to address Malta’s worsening traffic crisis.
Experts have criticised the announced measures as “cosmetic,” accusing the minister of attempting to throw money at the problem rather than implementing tough, dissuasive policies to reduce the number of cars on the island’s congested roads.
As of the end of 2024, Malta had 446,000 registered cars, with approximately 27 new vehicles — mostly secondhand imports — added each day.
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What a joke! If the abuse is rampant, then make sure there are serious officials to enforce and make sure it is legitimate!
Hekk hu, tfiegh tal-flus ghas-skapitu taghna li nhallsu t-taxxa. Huwa immorali li ggieghel lil poplu jabbanduna l-karozza. Offrielu alternattiva, u tara kif jitlaqha wahdu l-karozza.
Half of the vintage vehicles in our islands should be scrapped. Their emissions and state are not compatible to stay on the road. They are being used daily paying only 8 Euros annually road tax . Therefore TM are incentivating abuse and corruption.
LESA parking booking look out employees ready to tow anybody , probably face these black licence plate trucks while waiting for some crane to arrive. Besides these so called Vintage cars have a VRT test every year , I guess, or NOT? The VRT checks the odometer and can read the yearly mileage . If the odometer works . But looking at the tyres is usually enough to see the usage of any vehicle. So if TM know of the racket, why not call them all one by one to the TM inspection garage and verify the truth, then take legal action against who issued the Black Number Plate. AH HA , this is the problem. TM taking action against their peers?
Enforcement? In Malta? LOL!
“A nation of corsairs”, and proud of it just like the biggest brigand of them all.
So it’s the lack of enforcement that’s the problem not the system
Classic cars are not seen on the roads every day. I suggest you have a look when in traffic every day and count the number of cars with black plates. For the simple reason that you can only do 3000km a year. A car used every day in Malta would travel 12000 to 15000 km a year. So even if classic cars have higher emissions they are not on the road regularly meaning less emissions. Also the 30 year term was introduced in 2012 not 2003 and since then a lot of cars which where degaraged and real enthusiasts restore them and enjoy them on occasion like weekends, some mid week car meets, classic car shows and keep them in pristine condition. Those that want to abuse the system should be punished.
It is not rampant! I have a vintage small 65 year old army truck which I take out for a spin 4 times a year to keep it in shape! I was stopped for inspection 3 times in 3 years ! The problem is that some cars are not really classic at all . Hilarious to see an Isuzu Gemini or a Toyota pick up with a black plates! we must have a classic register!
Sorry but this is mainly BS. How many cars with black plates do you see driving qround in peek hours? I personally rarely see one. There might be some form of abuse but it is minimal, and with TM officials scattered around the islands during traffic peek hours, it should be easy enough for them to stop such vehicles for an inspection. As mentioned in the article, there are around 18,000 classic cars registered, so out of the 240,000 on maltese roads, this amounts to a very small fraction which would not make much of a difference to traffic conditions let alone when one takes into consideration that if these were to be stopped from being used, the owner would purchase another car to commute. Many of these classics are infact kept in garages and in very good condition. It is quite easy to see during the weekends, especially on Sundays, when these cars are taken out for a drive or for meets!
I have a real vintage car myself (50 years) that I drive maybe once a year. This scheme should be changed as now old cars are being called classics including cars such as Fiat Uno, Isuzu Geminis, etc. These are not classic. These are just old cars that instead of being scrapped end up with cheap license. However I rarely see a car with black plates being used as a daily so dont give the impression that the scheme is heavily abused.
The half you mention are Actually old Junk and not vintage at all. Prime example Is the Skoda in the picture
I agree? this black plate issue is being heavily inflated.
I see no rust, no dents nothing broken, last couple of weeks we had desert locusts, desert fine dust. It is just an old car, that used to win desert rallies. Only problem I see, is those black vintage plates.
Would you dump your Grandmother
The only problem you see is those black vintage plates? Isn’t that the point of the story?
What?! Are you comparing your grandmother to a car?
Regarding limitation of mileage there are ways that you can go round with it !!!!! We are in Malta.
I was among to one checked because someone reported me… and my vintage car was ok. I ended up scrapping it
I think whoever came up with classifying all cars of 30 years as ‘vintage” doesn’t know anything about cars. A Ford Model T is vintage but a 1962 Ford Anglia or Ford Taunus aren’t. Neither a 1965 Ford Mustang or a same year Volvo Amazon. All the above are called classics. But what do you expect from TM? This afternoon I saw a 1990 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth with black registration plates! That’s a boy racer car which in the UK was heavily penalised by insurance companies due to it being stolen. And in Malta it’s classified as vintage! When are we going to learn to do anything right?
I also couldn’t believe my eyes last year when I saw a 90’s boxy Daihatsu Cuore with faded white paint but having black registration plates. Call it anything but ‘vintage’. Where are the highly rated TM inspectors?
Even I have a real classic car (30 years) that I hardly drive 300km in Two years between VRT tests let alone if I drive it 3,000km per year.
I don?t agree with you that a Fiat Uno shouldn?t qualify for Classic status since they are also iconic cars. I love seeing a Fiat UNO with black number plates on the road occasionally, it?s way prettier to look at than any of today?s modern boring vehicles.
Definitely not and likewise that I wish my grandparents and parents would still be alive I wish I had the space and funds to keep every single car that I owned and drove since I was 15 years young.
Still 35 years old, the clock keeps ticking
Oh yes, time goes on. But still, not all cars could be called vintage.
A lot of boy racer cars would be run to the ground by then!
I agree. Apart from the nostalgia of when motoring (and life) was simpler, it’s refreshing seeing these cars being driven on weekends by careful drivers who really care. Far better than seeing second hand Japenese cars full of dents and faded plastic headlamps daily. Same goes for vans, some of them only a few years old but kept in a terrible state. And I also have lost count of seeing damaged bumpers hanging only by gaffer tape!