Understanding your MOT (and what to do if you fail)

Have you bought a second-hand car in the UK? Hopefully it was sold to you with a ‘new MOT’.

But what actually is an MOT and why does your car need one? We’re here to explain everything about preparing and booking the test. And what to do if your car doesn’t pass.

What is an MOT?

The MOT, or ‘Ministry of Transport’, test is an annual roadworthiness check on your car. Tests are administered by the Driving and Vehicles Standards Agency (DVSA), the organisation responsible for car safety in the UK.

There might be similar checks in the country you’re from – like Germany’s Hauptuntersuchung, or the Shaken in Japan. Or you might never have experienced anything like the MOT test where you’re from. Don’t stress, it’s nothing to worry about.

The MOT test keeps us all safe on the roads by checking things like tyres, brakes, lights and seatbelts. Every car over three years old needs an MOT every year.

If you’ve got a new car that’s less than three years old it won’t need an MOT yet.

How do I book an MOT?

You can book an MOT with any garage that’s an MOT test centre. Look out for the MOT sign, which is blue with three white triangles joined together. You can also search online for local MOT test centres.

The maximum MOT fee is £54.85. Some garages give discounts and charge less, so it’s worth asking a few.

You can book your MOT up to a month before your car’s current one expires and still keep the anniversary date. So if your MOT expires on 31 May, you could book your new MOT on 1 May and (assuming your car passes) the new MOT will last until 31 May the following year.

What does an MOT check?

During the test a mechanic will methodically check parts of your car for safety. You can watch from a viewing area if you like. Or leave your car and come back later if you’re too nervous.

The test is really thorough and includes, among other things:

• Bodywork and structure
• Brakes
• Tyres and wheels
• Steering
• The fuel system
• Exhaust and emissions
• Lights, wipers, windscreen and mirrors
• Seat belts and seats

Here’s a full list of what the MOT tester checks.

What do the MOT results mean

Once the test is over, the technician will tell you how it went. What you need to do next depends on the results:

• Pass – Congratulations. Your car is officially roadworthy for the next 12 months. You can drive it away. 
• Pass (with advisories) – The MOT tester has noted some minor issues with your car. It’s still passed its MOT, so you can drive it away. But you should get it booked in with the garage to fix the problems ASAP.
• Fail – The MOT has noted at least one major defect. Your car needs some work to get its MOT. You can drive it away and bring it back when the work has been done, as long as your current MOT is still in date.
• Fail (with dangerous defects) – You can’t legally drive your car away if the tester has found a dangerous fault.

My car failed its MOT – what now?

Don’t worry if your car fails. It’s actually really common. Almost one-in-three cars failed the MOT on their first go in October-December 2024. You just need to get your car’s faults fixed, then have it tested again.

You cannot legally drive your car away if the MOT tester has spotted any ‘dangerous’ defects. That means you’ll probably need to have it repaired at the same garage. Your only other option is to have it taken on a trailer to your home or a different garage for repairs.

If your car has only ‘major’ defects, you’re allowed to take it away to have it repaired if you want, as long as your current MOT is in date. If it isn’t, you’ll have to have your car repaired where it is.

It’s worth knowing that you can have a partial retest for free within 10 days if you leave the car at the testing garage and have it repaired there.

It’s also free to have a partial retest if you take it away to repair it and return by the end of the next working day.

You can appeal the result of the MOT test, but this shouldn’t be done lightly. You’ll have to pay the full test fee again and it’ll only be refunded if the retest finds the original tester failed your car incorrectly.

How to prepare for an MOT

Some of the most common MOT fails are for some really easy-to-fix reasons. 

In the most recent DVSA statistics, 7% of failures were for tyres. Another 5% were for visibility and 11% related to lights and other electrical equipment.

This means you could really increase your odds of passing the test with some basic checks on your car before you bring it for its MOT.

Follow this pre-MOT checklist:

1. Check your tyres. You can use a 20p coin. Push it into the tread and if you can see any of the coin’s border, your tyre need changing.
2. Check headlamps, tail lights and indicators. If any aren’t working, change the bulb.
3. Make sure your windscreen, windows and number plate are clean. A windscreen sticker in the wrong place can be an MOT fail, so remove any that don’t need to be there, as well as anything dangling from the rear view mirror.
4. Have a look at the seatbelts. You might need to have them replaced before the test if they’re torn or frayed.

Don’t forget your MOT

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you’re found driving without an MOT,even if you just forgot about it.

Avoid that by signing up for reminders from DVSA.