MOT test: what is checked?

Your car’s yearly MOT test can be a nerve-wracking time. You drop it off at the garage not knowing whether it’ll pass or hit with a huge bill. So what is the MOT test and why might your car fail?

Let’s get the basics over with first though… what does the acronym ‘MOT’ stand for? Well, it’s from the now-defunct Ministry of Transport, the Department of Transport being its modern equivalent.

What is an MOT?

An MOT test is an annual health check that your car must go through if it’s more than three years old. It ensures your car is roadworthy by checking things such as the brakes, steering, tyres and fuel system.

The price for an MOT is capped depending on the size of your vehicle, and you can sign up for a free MOT reminder so you don’t forget.

There are five possible outcomes for each item assessed in an MOT test: pass, advisory, minor defect, major defect and dangerous defect. You can check the MOT history of a used car to make sure it has a valid certificate, has no advisories which may need attention in the future as well as check the mileage is accurate.

What is checked in an MOT?

The MOT test is designed to ensure your vehicle is safe to be driven on the road. When your car goes in for its MOT test, the garage will check:

• That all seats are correctly installed and the seatbelts are working properly
• That your windscreen isn’t damaged and the wipers/washers are working effectively
• All exterior lights are working
• There are no warning lights on the dashboard
• The doors close properly and all latches are working
• There is no structural damage, for example, excessive rust
• The brakes and steering are working
• The tyres have enough tread and are not damaged
• The car’s emissions are within specific limits

It’s worth noting that the MOT test is only an overview of your car’s health on the day and that you should carry out regular checks to make sure it’s in a roadworthy condition. The test also won’t necessarily pick up issues with how well your engine and gearbox are running – only that they’re safe. Just because a car has a valid MOT test certificate doesn’t mean it has no faults.

When’s my MOT due?

Your car’s first MOT test will be due three years after it was first registered – so if it was registered on 14 January 2021, the first MOT will be due on 14 January 2024. It’s easy to forget a date three years in the future, so you can sign up for the Government’s free reminder service. This will text or email you a month before your MOT is due so you have time to get it booked in.

How much is an MOT?

The cost of an MOT depends on the garage you take your car to – the good news is that the price can’t exceed a Government cap of £54.85 and many garages will charge you less than that.

Types of MOT passes and fails

There are five possible outcomes of taking your car for an MOT, these are:

• Pass
• Advisory
• Minor faults
• Major faults
• Dangerous faults

A pass is self-explanatory – your car is deemed safe and no further action is required until the vehicle’s next MOT in 12 months’ time. Even if your car picks up an advisory or a minor fault, it’s still legally drivable. The former means there’s a problem you need to keep an eye on, maybe the tread on a tyre is close to the legal limit. Minor faults should be fixed ASAP – a minor could mean something like one of your three brake lights is broken.

Major defects are, well, more major – your car can’t legally be driven unless the fault’s been fixed or (if your present MOT hasn’t expired) you’re driving to a garage to get it fixed. A major defect means the car presents a potential safety risk to its occupants or others. That said, a major defect can be picked up for something as innocuous-sounding – and as cheap to fix – as a faulty wiper blade.

Dangerous defects are more serious. Get one of these in your car’s MOT test and it can’t be driven on the road even if the current MOT hasn’t expired or you’re driving to a garage for repair. Complete brake light failure would fall under this category.

How long does the MOT take?

The actual MOT test shouldn’t take longer than 60 minutes – but that doesn’t mean the process will be that quick for you. Most garages will request you drop the car off in the morning and pick it up later that day.

Of course, that only counts if your car passes with a clean bill of health. If it fails and your old MOT test certificate has expired, your car can only be driven directly to a repair centre – drive anywhere else and you risk prosecution and invalidating the car’s insurance policy. Dangerous failures mean the car can’t be driven until the problem is fixed.

How to check a car’s MOT history

Checking the MOT history can be very useful when you’re looking to buy a used car because it reveals a lot about the car’s condition and how well it was maintained. As an example, if the car has advisories every year for worn tyres, you can assume it’s been driven hard over the course of its life and may therefore have excessive wear to some other components.

You can access the MOT history by using the Government MOT History Checker. Simply enter registration number of the car you’re looking to buy into the search bar and it’ll bring up its MOT history, allowing you to see any major repairs that have been done or any outstanding minor defects that need attention.

If you’re looking to sell a car without an MOT, you can do so through carwow. It’s easy to get a free valuation by simply entering your reg number and answering a few questions.