The purpose of the MOT test is to make sure that vehicles are checked, at least once a year, to see that they comply with set roadworthiness and environmental standards. A record of each test is kept online, it’s checked when a vehicle is taxed and can be accessed by anyone so you can keep a track of when a test is due, or see if a car you want to buy has a valid MOT.
Find out how to check the MOT history and expiry of a car >
Most vehicles need to have a valid MOT to be driven on our roads. Most new cars and motorcycles don’t need one until they’re 3 years old. There are some vehicles that are fully exempt from needing an MOT:
Lorries, buses and trailers – You must get an annual test for these instead of an MOT. It’s sometimes called the ‘annual vehicle test’.
A full list of exemptions can be found on the government website >
Cars need an MOT test every year to ensure they’re still roadworthy. You can get a test up to a month before the MOT runs out and keep the same renewal date.
The maximum you can be charged for an MOT test for a car is £54.85.
Important parts on your car will be checked to make sure they meet legal standards. The test centre will check key items such as the following:
Having an MOT test is not the same as having your car serviced, the test doesn’t check the general mechanical condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox.
A full list of parts that are tested can be found on the government website >
Your car fails if the test result lists ‘dangerous’ or ‘major’ problems with your car.
If your vehicle fails the MOT you’ll get a ‘refusal of an MOT test certificate’ from the test centre and it will be recorded in the database. You can appeal the result if you think it’s wrong.
Common reasons that cars fail an MOT include:
Often these can be simply repaired, though more complex failure reasons or multiple items that need fixing, can result in mounting costs to make your car roadworthy again.
You can drive your car after a failed MOT test if:
Otherwise, you need to get the car repaired before you can drive it again.
If your car fails the MOT test your options are:
If you pay to have your car repaired you’ll need to have the car retested and have it pass to be able to drive the car again. If you leave the car at the test centre for repair and it’s retested within 10 working days it can have a partial retest for free. If you take your car elsewhere to be repaired, you can take it back the new working day to be retested and this will be free, if you take it back within 10 working days you can be charged a partial retest fee.
If you decide to sell your car you’ll need to make sure that the vehicle can be collected, if the current MOT has expired. You’ll also need to make the buyer of the car aware that the car has failed its MOT test, not all buyers will purchase MOT failures. The most common reason for selling a car with no MOT is that repairs would cost more than the value of the car. If this is the case, scrapping your car may be the best option. You can get an instant scrap car quote and arrange free collection of your car with CarTakeBack.
