Ministry Of Transport Test

(MOT)

With 2 MOT bays we can accommodate both Class 4 & Class 7 Vehicles
FROM £45.00
A class 4 MOT is the most common one and the MOT required on all passenger cars, whilst a class 7 MOT is usually carried out on commercial goods vehicles that carry between 3,000 kg and 3,500 kg in weight.

When to get an MOT

The MOT test checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards.

You must get an MOT for your vehicle by either:

the third anniversary of its registration
the anniversary of its last MOT, if it’s over 3 years old

If the MOT has run out

If your tax is due to run out, register your vehicle as ‘off the road’ - you cannot renew your vehicle tax if your MOT has expired.
Book an MOT test.
Tax your vehicle once it has passed its MOT.

You cannot drive or park your vehicle on the road if the MOT has run out. You can be prosecuted if caught.

The only exceptions are to drive it:

to or from somewhere to be repaired
to a pre-arranged MOT test

Earliest date you can get an MOT

An MOT lasts for a year. The date it runs out is printed on your current MOT pass certificate.

You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.

You can get an MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and keep the same renewal date.

Booking an MOT

You must use an approved MOT test centre to get your MOT.

Only centres showing the blue sign with 3 white triangles can carry out your MOT.

How you can book

Contact an MOT centre to book an MOT.

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MOT test result

Your vehicle can either pass or fail the MOT.

Passing the MOT

If your vehicle passes the MOT:

you’ll get an MOT certificate from the test centre
it will be recorded in the MOT database

You might also get a list of ‘minor’ or ‘advisory’ problems to monitor or fix in the future.

Retest after a repair

In some cases your vehicle can have a partial retest for free or a reduced MOT fee.

Leaving your vehicle for repair

You only need a partial retest if you leave the vehicle at the test centre for repair and it’s retested within 10 working days. There’s no fee for this.

Taking your vehicle away for repairs

You can take your vehicle away if your MOT certificate is still valid.

If your MOT has run out you can take your vehicle to:

have the failed defects fixed
a pre-arranged MOT test appointment

In both cases, your vehicle still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times or you can be fined.

Taking it back for a retest the next working day

You will not have to pay again if you take it back to the same test centre before the end of the next working day for a partial retest on one or more of these items:

access panels
battery
bonnet
bootlid
brake pedal antislip
break glass hammer (class 5 vehicles only)
doors (including hinges, catches and pillars)
door open warning device (class 5 vehicles only)
dropsides
electrical wiring
emergency exits and signs (class 5 vehicles only)
entrance door remote control (class 5 vehicles only)
entrance/exit steps (class 5 vehicles only)
fuel filler cap
headlamp cleaning or levelling devices (that does not need a headlamp aim check)
horn
lamps (excluding headlamp aim)
loading door
main beam ‘tell-tale’
mirrors
rear reflectors
registration plates
seatbelts (but not anchorages), seatbelt load limiter and seatbelt pre-tensioner
seats
sharp edges or projections
stairs (class 5 vehicles only)
steering wheel
tailboard
tailgate
trailer electrical sockets
towbars (excluding body around anchorage points)
tyre pressure monitoring system
vehicle identification number (VIN)
windscreen glass, wipers and washers
wheels and tyres (excluding motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecar)

Taking it back for a retest within 10 working days

You’ll only need a partial retest if you take the vehicle from the test centre for repairs and take it back within 10 working days. You can be charged a partial retest fee for this.

Failing the MOT

Your vehicle will fail if the test result lists ‘dangerous’ or ‘major’ problems with your vehicle. You might not be allowed to drive until you fix the problems.

You might also get a list of ‘minor’ or ‘advisory’ problems to monitor or fix in the future.

If your vehicle fails the MOT:

you’ll get a ‘refusal of an MOT test certificate’ from the test centre
it will be recorded in the MOT database

You can appeal the result if you think it’s wrong.

Driving a vehicle that’s failed

You can take your vehicle away if:

your current MOT certificate is still valid
no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed in the MOT

Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.

If you can take your vehicle away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times.

You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle that has failed its MOT because of a ‘dangerous’ problem.