MOT

If your vehicle doesn't have a current MOT certificate, you can only drive it to or from a pre-arranged MOT appointment or to or from a pre-arranged repair appointment to have defects remedied that were discovered on a previous test. You can also drive your vehicle on a road without road tax in these circumstances too but your vehicle must be insured. However, not having an MOT may have implications for the validity of your insurance - you would need to check this with your insurer.

The only way you could lawfully move a vehicle without an MOT, other than in the circumstances described above, is on a trailer or recovery vehicle so that all four wheels are off the ground.

Note that:

• If a vehicle has failed an MOT you can't drive it away from the garage if any of the defects were classed as being dangerous. Dangerous defects mean a direct and immediate risk to road safety or have a serious impact on the environment - do not drive the vehicle until they've been repaired.
• You will commit an offence if you park a vehicle without an MOT on the road.
• The law makes no mention as to how far you can go for an MOT but we would suggest the distance is kept as short as possible because even though you are exempt from having a valid MOT certificate in the circumstances described above, if you are stopped by the police you could still be prosecuted for any defective parts on your vehicle e.g. exhaust, brakes and tyres etc. If you call in at shops etc. on your way to the MOT, it may be held that you are using the vehicle for other purposes and the above exemption won't apply. The further you travel the more likelihood there is of your vehicle triggering an ANPR camera and you being stopped.
• You can get an MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and keep the same renewal date.
• You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving a vehicle without a valid MOT.
  

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, 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.

On Sunday 20^th 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:

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 1^st 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 1^st September 2009 (if fitted)
• Reversing lights on vehicles first used from 1^st 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 40^th anniversary of when they were registered e.g. if a car was first registered on 31^st May 1978, it won't need an MOT from 31^st 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.