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MOT

Answer

No, a car must be insured, taxed and have an MOT to be driven on the road. The penalty for driving a car without an MOT is a fine.

The most relevant exception to this is if you are driving your vehicle to and from a pre-arranged appointment for an MOT and you must take a direct route to the garage (but the vehicle must be insured). Although you must be aware that most failures of MOTs are offences in their own right so you may be committing other offences, for example defective tyres, brakes, lights, steering, horns etc.

However if you are stopped by the police on the way to or from the garage the onus is on you to prove that you had a pre-arranged appointment. Where possible it is always advisable to book your car in for an MOT in good time.

There are one or two other very minor exceptions in addition to the above but they do not really apply to the ordinary car driver.

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Yes. Any driver who drives a vehicle, whether it belongs to them or not, has a responsibility to ensure that they are insured to drive the vehicle and that the vehicle is fully road legal, taxed and MOT'd.

If you are stopped by the police it is you as the driver who will face prosecution. Under certain circumstances the keeper may also be prosecuted.

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This will depend on the terms of your insurance but third party claims should still be covered - check in your insurance documentation or with your insurance company.
 
Note that all insurers are different and whilst the above information represents the general position, you should always check with your insurer to make sure.

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The following assumes you are not towing a trailer. Generally, you won't commit an offence if the light became defective during the journey or you have made arrangements to have it repaired as soon as possible.

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You can check your driving licence entitlement at https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

You can check your vehicle tax and MoT at https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/

You can check your insurance at http://ownvehicle.askmid.com/

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On Sunday 20th May 2018 five changes were made to the way the MoT test is conducted for cars, vans, motorcycles and other light passenger vehicles in England, Scotland and Wales.

CHANGE 1
Defects discovered during the MoT will be categorised as being either dangerous, major or minor. It will depend on the type of defect and its seriousness as to which category the MoT tester places it in. Additionally, the tester will also provide guidance about issues you need to monitor in relation to the vehicle – these are referred to as 'advisories'. The new categories have meanings shown in the table below:

Item result

What it means about the item

How it affects your MOT result

Dangerous

A direct and immediate risk to road safety or has a serious impact on the environment. Do not drive the vehicle until it's been repaired.

Fail

Major

It may affect the vehicle's safety, put other road users at risk or have an impact on the environment. Repair it immediately.

Fail

Minor

No significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or impact on the environment. Repair as soon as possible.

Pass

Advisory

It could become more serious in the future. Monitor and repair it if necessary.

Pass

Pass

It meets the minimum legal standard. Make sure it continues to meet the standard.

Pass


CHANGE 2
Diesel vehicles with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) must comply with stricter limits for emissions. If you are uncertain as to whether your vehicle is fitted with a DPF, check your vehicle's handbook or contact an approved dealer. If the MoT tester is able to see smoke of any colour coming from your vehicle's exhaust or if they find evidence that the DPF has been tampered with, your vehicle will receive a major fault defect.

CHANGE 3
Additional items added to the MoT test are:

  • Daytime running lights on vehicles first used from 1st March 2018. The majority of these vehicles will have their first MoT in 2021 when they are 3 years old
  • Headlight washers on vehicles first used from 1st September 2009 (if fitted)
  • Reversing lights on vehicles first used from 1st September 2009
  • Obviously underinflated tyres
  • Contaminated brake fluid
  • Fluid leaks that pose an environmental risk
  • Brake pad warning lights and whether brake pads/discs are missing

CHANGE 4
The format of the MoT certificate and the website that allows you to check a vehicle's MoT history (see link below) has changed to include the new types of defects. https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

CHANGE 5
Some cars, motorcycles and other light passenger vehicles over 40 years old won't need an MoT providing they haven't been substantially changed. Presently, only vehicles first built before 1960 are exempt from the requirement to have an MoT. When the rules change on 20 May 2018, vehicles won't require an MoT from the 40th anniversary of when they were registered e.g. if a car was first registered on 31st May 1978, it won't need an MOT from 31st May 2018. You can check the date when a vehicle was registered via the link above in change 4.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • The maximum fees that MoT garages can charge are shown in the link below: https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/mot-test-fees
  • You can get an MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and keep the same renewal date. You can obtain a free MoT reminder via text or email one month before your MoT is due – see the link below: https://www.gov.uk/mot-reminder
  • The government have decided to leave the time at which a vehicle will require its first MoT at 3 years and not extend it to 4.
  • You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.

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