MOT Fact Sheet

The first test is required once a vehicle is three years old. There are different rules if you use it as a taxi. When your vehicle is tested, the MOT looks at some important items to see if it meets the legal requirements. You should be aware that the MOT certificate is not a guarantee of the general mechanical condition of a vehicle.

When your vehicle needs testing

If a vehicle is registered with no prior use on the road, the MOT will be required three years after the date of registration. For example, a vehicle registered 'from new' on 1 April 2004 will require its MOT no later than 1 April 2007.

If a vehicle is used prior to registration, as would be the case with an import, the MOT will be required three years from the end of the year of manufacture. For example a vehicle manufactured at any time in 2004 will require an MOT no later than 31 December 2007. There is no grace period given after these dates.

An MOT can be carried out at any time

If the vehicle is tested within the calendar month prior to when the MOT is due, the test certificate will run from the date of the test to one year after the expiry date of the current certificate. For example, if the current certificate was due to expire on 1 April 2007, and the vehicle was presented on or after 2 March 2007, the certificate would run from the test date until 1 April 2008.

The same rule would also apply when the vehicle is taken in within a calendar month of its first MOT. In this case, the vehicle owner would need to present their registration document.

If the vehicle is tested earlier than one month before its due date, the MOT will only run for twelve months.

An MOT costs £50.35 for a car of up to 8 seats (correct September 2007).

The MOT Checklist