An MOT is a legal requirement for all vehicles over the age of three years in the United Kingdom; without a valid MOT on a vehicle, the car is not roadworthy and cannot be driven outside of private property. MOTs conduct numerous tests to ensure that the vehicle is safe to drive.
Whether you’re looking to buy a new car and want to check its MOT history, or if you’ve simply been looking for a reminder of the results of your own car’s MOT, we’ve outlined some of the main things you should know about checking your MOT.
MOT Requirements
MOTs are an essential requirement for vehicle owners to undertake in order to ensure their vehicle’s safety. In line with this, it is a requirement for all cars older than three years to have a valid MOT certificate, and this must be updated annually.
MOTs must be performed at an approved testing location, and a series of inspections are carried out to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy. These usually test the fuel system, brakes, lights, and mirrors. The tests last for around 45 minutes.
It is possible for vehicles to fail their MOTs, which will occur due to damage or wear and tear on the vehicle’s systems usually. Fortunately, just because your vehicle has failed its MOT doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. Generally speaking, if you can justify the expense, any major faults can be repaired after the MOT has failed, allowing you to retake the MOT.
After repairing the issues, your car should be able to pass its MOT – although if further issues are found, it is possible for the MOT to fail for a second time. The MOT provides a better understanding of your car’s health and can help determine if it’s time to replace your car.
How to Check Your MOT in London
If you need to check your vehicle’s MOT, there are several options you could consider. Of course, after obtaining the MOT for your car, you should be provided with paperwork relating to the test. However, your MOT certificate can also be checked online to learn more about how the car performed in its previous MOTs.
Our full car check solution offers a simple way to ensure your vehicle has a valid MOT. By entering a UK car registration number plate the tool will reveal a detailed MOT history including advisories and failures along with the dates.
Frequently asked questions
A car’s MOT is only valid for one year, and owners can be fined up to £1000 for driving a car on the road without a valid MOT. However, if your vehicle’s MOT has expired, you can still drive it directly to the garage for an MOT to be done.
The validity of an MOT relates to whether the certificate is still active. If your MOT certificate has expired, it will no longer be valid, and you will need to get the next MOT booked.
Your MOT should highlight the reasons that the vehicle failed its MOT; from here, you can then get the issues repaired before retesting the vehicle. Hopefully, this should allow your car to pass on the next test – although you should ideally check with your garage that the repairs should enable the car to pass, otherwise you could end up wasting your money.