MOT checklist: everything you need to know

The MOT check can make lots of car proprietors nervous. A failure could value hundreds of kilos in repair payments, or, in some instances, consider your delight and joy off the highway for superior.

But you can find no have to have to strain about it once you happen to be familiar with how vehicles are analyzed, it’s effortless to tell if your car’s possible to go or are unsuccessful in advance of you head to the take a look at centre, and get any probable faults rectified. 

What is an MOT? | How much does it price? | How can I check if my automobile is MOT’d? | How do I look at my MOT history? | Is my car or truck exempt from MOT? | MOT checklist | Most popular explanations for MOT failure

What is an MOT?

The MOT is your car’s annual roadworthiness evaluation and is carried out in accordance with the most recent regulations issued by the Driver and Auto Criteria Agency (DVSA). 

All automobiles much more than 3 years aged ought to have a valid MOT ahead of currently being pushed on community roads, and you can be fined up to £1000 for driving a vehicle after its certification has expired. Insurance policies providers are also in just their legal rights to invalidate a destruction declare if the policyholder are unable to make evidence of their vehicle’s roadworthiness. 

To move, a auto must conform to a stringent set of protection and emissions criteria, with exact demands different in accordance to its sizing, age and course. If any faults are discovered as harmful or unlawful, the automobile will instantly fall short, but considerably less sizeable shortcomings – this sort of as a almost worn-out tyre or rusty exhaust – will be detailed as an ‘advisory’ and will likely want to be rectified right before the future test. 

Drivers can check out any one of close to 20,000 licenced MOT stations in Britain, with the normal test lasting all-around 45 minutes.

When do I will need to get an MOT? 

Your motor vehicle will be lawfully needed to have its initial MOT by the 3rd anniversary of its preliminary registration, and every single yr after that, if it really is about three yrs old. 

An MOT will last for one particular year and you can see the day it runs out on your MOT move certificate. 

There are proposals by the authorities to thrust the very first MOT to 4 a long time just after a model’s preliminary registration, amid the growing popularity of hybrid and electrical motor vehicles and the introduction of new auto technology. The proposals also include extending the time concerning a car’s MOT to two several years, somewhat than each year, presented enhancements to car safety and construct high-quality. 

The governing administration states, if equally moves are made, it will help save motorists all over £100 million per year in MOT expenses – but no closing decision has been made as of February 2023.

How a great deal does it price tag? 

As of 2010, the most fee a garage can demand for an MOT examination is £54.85 for automobiles and light-weight vans. This price tag covers all facets of the procedure such as admin expenses, materials expenditures and labour. 

If a motor vehicle fails its take a look at, it can continue being at the garage for fix and be submitted for a totally free partial re-take a look at within just 10 working days. When this time has elapsed, however, it will have to have to undergo the complete examination once again where ever it is taken. If an owner chooses to fix the car on their own or acquire it to a different garage, it can be re-examined in the 10-working day period of time for 50 % the initial cost. 

Motorists ought to note that a re-check lower price is only relevant at the time. If your vehicle fails 2 times, you have to pay the full price tag of the upcoming MOT take a look at. 

How can I verify if my automobile is MOT’d?

Most garages will offer to ship you a no cost reminder textual content in the run-up to your scheduled MOT date, but jogging a vehicle’s numberplate by https://www.gov.british isles/look at-mot-record will inform you when its existing certification expires. 

How to verify your MOT background on the web

The gov.british isles MOT checker can also be utilized to critique preceding MOT assessments, with detailed facts offered on past advisories and failures. This is useful if you want to remind your self of what requires fixing in advance of heading to the garage, or if you’re selecting irrespective of whether or not to buy a next-hand auto. 

Specific consideration should be paid to the history of non-consumable parts like the suspension mounts, chassis and decrease body as failure in these parts will be high priced to restore, and probable lethal for more mature autos. It’s worthy of remembering that goods these kinds of as tyres, ball joints, headlights and brake pads dress in out in any case, and ought to be changed as encouraged. 

Is my motor vehicle exempt from MOT?

Cars a lot less than a few a long time aged do not need to have to be put by means of an MOT exam, as it is assumed their ailment will not dangerously deteriorate whilst they’re however ‘new’. Any places of problem will probable be pointed out to an operator and repaired throughout a dealership examine-up or support in any case. 

Similarly, vehicles created more than 40 years ago are classed as ‘historic’ and are not formally required to be examined, but can nevertheless be considered unsafe by the police and taken off the street. 

To declare historic exemption, a automobile should be largely in initial ailment, with no considerable modifications designed to the bodywork, suspension or powertrain. A lot of vintage automobile owners pick to have their motor vehicle tested anyway, just for peace of head, which is typically recognized to be the greatest course of action. 

MOT Checklist

Quantity plate

Normally neglected, your car’s quantity plate is one particular of the least difficult issues you can verify to steer clear of a failure or advisory. To pass, it should be the proper colour (commonly black/yellow at the rear, black/white at the entrance), be absolutely legible (no sizeable cracks, scrapes or fading) and show the appropriate registration structure for your car’s year. 

The DVSA also advises that the figures on your number plate have to be in the proper font, and that the plate itself have to be sized properly. 

Lights and indicators

Each and every exam will incorporate a check of your car’s headlights, which ought to be aimed thoroughly, change appropriately between dipped and full beam and have clear, unmarked lenses. 

The indicators will also be examined at this phase, with a failure issued for any non-flashing bulbs. The amount plate gentle, reversing lights and any fog lamps will also be checked. 

Brake lights

Any car or truck with improperly operating brake lights is perilous, so they really should illuminate obviously when stress is applied to the brake pedal during the exam. 

The ‘presence, operation, condition’ rule arrives into engage in listed here, as properly if your vehicle has a centrally mounted third brake mild (which it doesn’t lawfully have to have), it has to perform. The simple rule is: if it’s there, it wants to purpose. 

Tyres

Tyre tread depth is integral to a vehicle’s safety, and can be one of the most high priced failures to resolve. It doesn’t get substantially to check out beforehand, though – the least regular tread depth permitted on Uk roads is 1.6mm – or roughly the exact as the border of a 20p coin – so if you have acquired 1 in your pocket, operate it down each groove and you will see how a lot life’s still left in your rubber. 

While you are there, check out the sidewalls for bulges and cracks, as these are not only MOT failures, but extremely risky at any speed. 

Windscreen wipers

Your entrance wipers should be in very good working purchase, and be able of proficiently clearing grime from the windscreen. This indicates the blades them selves will have to not have any tears or cracks that leave smears throughout the glass in rainy conditions.

Rear wipers aren’t examined, but if your vehicle has a single and it isn’t performing, it is finest to get it mounted in any scenario, for peace of thoughts. 

Display clean

Windscreen washer jets will have to be angled and pressured the right way. It might shock you to know that even demonstrating up with an vacant display wash tank can outcome in a fall short, so raid your garage cabinets for a bottle of screenwash! 

Seats and seatbelts

Seatbelts preserve lives, which is why they are thoroughly checked for the duration of an MOT check. The belts on their own must prolong and retract as meant, be in fantastic usable issue (ie not about to rip) and clip securely into the fastener. 

An older car could fail its test if the seatbelt anchorage points (commonly the major and base of the B-pillar) are excessively destroyed or corroded, as this appreciably minimizes the device’s capability to continue to keep the occupant in position for the duration of an effects. 

Gas and motor oil

It might look noticeable, but it is a very good idea to make sure your car or truck has plenty of gasoline for the MOT exam to be carried out. The tester will operate the car for a couple minutes for the duration of the emissions test, and will probably go it all around the workshop for different parts of the procedure. 

The identical goes for oil test your car’s dipstick right before heading to the garage to make confident the engine’s not in any risk of working dry. An MOT tester is within their legal rights to refuse to exam any motor vehicle with minimal fluids. 

What are the most widespread good reasons for MOT failure?

It may well shock you to find out that the most widespread cause for MOT failure is also one of the cheapest faults to rectify. Official data from the DVSA shows that about 19% of automobiles fall short for a lighting problem, which can usually be attributed to practically nothing extra than a blown bulb. Very best follow is to test that the indicators, headlights, brake lights and reverse lights all function properly in advance of the MOT test.

Suspension faults are the next most popular, but can be a great deal much more highly-priced to take care of. Testers will not like leaky shock absorbers, cracked springs or corroded mounting details, so get underneath with a torch and appear for any indicators of imminent failure. Also, hold an ear out over potholes and speedbumps, as worn bushings and loose top rated mounts will make a loud knocking noise. 

Brakes and tyres are a different area in which your car or truck can enable you down, but the good thing is it ought to be rather clear if you have acquired a trouble in this article. Functioning a 20p coin all-around the tyres will give an plan of their existence expectancy, and checking the interior and outer sidewalls will reveal any dangerous bulges or cracks. You can commonly notify the ailment of your brakes by their effectiveness and any seem they make, but it doesn’t take also very long to take out the wheel for a shut inspection of the discs, drums, pads or sneakers. 

Ultimately, producing confident you can see while driving is an absolute need to. Get rid of anything that could obstruct your see of the highway forward – cellular phone holders, air fresheners, sat navs and stickers – and guarantee there are no chips or cracks in the windscreen by itself.