By law, every new car reaching its third birthday has to begin taking an annual safety test or 'MOT'. This rule was first devised by the Ministry of Transport back in the 1960s, which is why the test is called the MOT test. We don’t have a Ministry of Transport anymore, so the test rules and regulations are overseen by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The DVSA is part of the Department of Transport, but the test is still officially known as the MOT.
Like the name, the basic principle of the car MOT check hasn’t changed since the ‘sixties either. It is designed to pick up faults with a vehicle that could endanger lives, although more recently environmental measures have been addressed in the test via emissions testing. That’s why if your car doesn’t have a valid MOT certificate you’re not allowed to drive it on the road. Unless, that is, you’re on the way to, or from, a pre-booked MOT test at an authorised garage.
The paper MOT certificate used to be a vital document, and the police would routinely ask to see it during traffic stops. Nowadays all the information is stored on the MOT online database. So the plain paper MOT issued after your test is simply a statement of whether your car has passed or failed. It’s also a useful reminder of when your test is coming around again, but if you’ve mislaid the paperwork you can check your car's MOT status (or the MOT status of any vehicle) by typing ‘when’s my MOT due’ into google.
Many local garages and test centres will keep a record of your MOT due date for you, and will send out MOT reminders as they want your repeat business. However most people have a rough idea of their vehicle’s MOT expiry date anyway, as it’s become such an intrinsic part of car ownership.
How much does and MOT cost?
The MOT cost is controlled by law too, with a maximum charge for cars set at £54.85. An individual MOT test centre can choose to charge less, so it’s worth shopping around. If you think you’ve a chance of failure, make sure you pick an MOT test centre offering free retests within 10 days, as you can be charged a partial retest fee. If repairs take longer, you’ll have to pay the full fee again.
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How to pass the MOT test
When people book MOT tests, even if there’s the offer of a free retest, they don’t generally want the hassle of having to go back to the garage. That’s why it makes sense to understand the vehicle MOT check rules, and carry out some simple steps to try and guarantee that vital MOT pass. These tips won't help you if your car has significant mechanical wear items, or if your emissions are over the limits, but on an otherwise well-maintained car they can certainly reduce the annoyance and hassle of an avoidable MOT failure.
MOT rules for tyres
Any tyre that doesn’t have at least 1.6mm of tread across the middle three-quarters is an instant MOT failure. Tyres with significant damage such as cuts, bulges or cracking will cost you a pass certificate too.
MOT rules for lights
All you vehicle’s lights must be clean and work correctly, or you will fail the MOT. So before you book it in, check they do. That means headlamps on full and dipped beam, sidelamps and DRLs, hazard lights and indicators, fog lamps if fitted, and even number plate lights at the back. You can pick up most bulbs from car accessory stores, and they’re usually easy to fit – if sometimes a little fiddly.
MOT rules for windscreen and wipers
Not every chip or crack on a windscreen will cost you an MOT certificate, as it’s all down to location. The details may seem complicated, but as a rule of thumb you can get away with chips smaller than 10mm in front of the driver. Any damage bigger than 10mm in front of the driver – and also in the glass area swept by the wipers – will be an MOT fail. Elsewhere on the glass, damage has to be larger than 40mm to constitute an MOT fail.
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Wiper blades must be in good condition – not perished or damaged – and clear the screen effectively. The washers must work too, and the MOT tester is within their rights to issue a fail if you haven't topped up the washer bottle or unblocked dirty washer jets with a pin!
MOT rules for number plates
As well as using the correct lettering style and spacing, your number plates need to be clean and easy to read from a distance. Modified number plates, damaged number plates or otherwise illegal plates will fail the MOT.
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