MOT Checker

MOT stands for ‘Ministry of Transport’, referring to the now-defunct government department (today called the Department for Transport) that dictated the conditions for a vehicle’s roadworthiness determined in the MOT test. ‘MOT’ has become shorthand for the test itself and is still used despite the change in the department’s name.

An MOT test essentially checks the roadworthiness of a vehicle to ensure it’s safe to be used on public roads. Various mechanical and electrical functions will be inspected during the test, such as the effectiveness of the brakes, the function of headlights and wipers, the condition of suspension components, the presence of corrosion that might affect a vehicle’s structure, and a test of a vehicle’s emissions to ensure it’s not pumping out too many pollutants. The visibility of legal requirements like numberplates is also checked, and more recently, the presence of any warning lights in the instrument cluster is also covered.

An MOT test will typically take under an hour to complete, and many MOT test centres will carry it out while you wait – though busier centres may have to test several vehicles before yours, so in most cases you’re better off dropping the vehicle off and then occupying yourself for the day, and waiting for the test centre to call you to say the car is ready.

The cost of an MOT can vary slightly. The maximum is currently £54.85 for cars and £29.65 for motorcycles, though many places will charge a little less than this, and you can generally expect the cost for a car MOT test to vary from around £40 to the maximum of £54.85. VAT is not charged on MOT tests.

The easiest way to check for when an MOT is due on your car is to use the MOT checker above. You input your numberplate and the Auto Express tool will clearly state when the vehicle’s MOT elapses. 

You can take your car for an MOT up to a month before this date while still preserving the annuity – in other words, if your MOT is due on December 1st, you can have the car tested on November 1st and that year’s MOT will still last until December 1st the following year.

As well as checking when your MOT is due, the Auto Express MOT checker also lets you see a vehicle’s previous MOT history, at least for as long as such records have been recorded online. The checker tool will show you the dates of previous tests, whether a vehicle passed or failed, and what advisories were listed by the test centre.

Generally speaking, you cannot drive without an MOT, and it is illegal to do so. The only condition in which you’re allowed to do so is if your MOT has elapsed and you are driving it to a test centre. Because your car will show up as not having an MOT on the ANPR camera systems used by the police, don’t be surprised if you’re pulled over – and you’d better make sure you really are driving to have the car tested, as there are fines of up to £2,500 and even penalty points depending on the condition of your untested car. Vehicles older than 40 years do not need an MOT.

You can have a vehicle MOT tested at any time, but if you want to keep your MOT test date the same each year, the earliest you can have a vehicle tested is one month before the annuity of its last test.

You can drive a car to an MOT test centre without an MOT, but you must have a pre-booked appointment and be able to prove this to the police, if you’re stopped – as your car will show up as not having a valid MOT on their ANPR camera systems. You are also able to drive your car to a garage for repairs if it has failed an MOT, with the same caveats. If the car has potentially dangerous defects, you may still be subject to fines and penalty points if you’re stopped by police, even if you’re on your way to have the car tested.

You should book an MOT at the earliest opportunity if you’ve let it lapse, at least if you’re planning to drive the car – there’s no obligation to have an MOT on a car that is sitting unused in a garage. Bear in mind that MOT test centres can be busy, especially at certain times of year, such as in the run-up to winter, so you may want to book early to avoid getting to MOT time and being unable to get your vehicle tested right away.

Several things can cause your car to fail an MOT. The list is too long to go into detail, but overly worn or damaged tyres, excessive wear in brakes and suspension components, structural rust, dashboard warning lights, blown bulbs, wiper and washer fluid problems, excessive noise or emissions, and broken or obscured numberplates can all cause a vehicle to fail its MOT.

Unless you are on your way to an MOT test centre, you cannot legally drive your car after the MOT expires, so there is no predetermined ‘grace period’ after your MOT runs out that you can drive without one. It’s better to book your MOT a good time in advance to ensure you won’t have to drive without a current MOT certificate.