Don’t Forget About Your MOT

What’s an MOT again?

An MOT test checks that your vehicle currently meets road safety and environmental requirements. Every car over three years old requires an MOT (there are a few exceptions; mostly ambulances and taxis). You should always make sure your car has an MOT. It’s illegal to drive without one and not having one might invalidate your insurance too. Which will make you unpopular with the police and also your bank manager.

I forgot to renew my MOT

It’s a really common thing to happen to people. With the pace of life nowadays many people forget that their MOT needs to be renewed. Before we explain more about the problems not having an MOT can cause, we offer you a solution. Our free reminder service will email or text you to let you know when your MOT is due.

Even if you forget, the authorities won’t

The DVLA and DVSA maintain databases that show every registered car in the UK. These record if a vehicle has road tax, insurance and an MOT. These systems actively check if you’ve renewed when you should. And, if you’re not up-to-date, your registration number can be added to the UK-wide Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system.

Forgetting can be costly

If you don’t have a valid MOT certificate you could end up with a roadside fine and also a further fine imposed by a court. For standard vehicles, the basic fine is £100. And anything up to £1,000 additionally from the court. Your vehicle can be impounded, which will add more costs (on a daily basis). Without an MOT your vehicle is not allowed on the roads. So you’ll have to find an alternative method of travel. Adding more financial cost and, potentially, more time to your journey.

A couple of exceptions

You are allowed to drive your car without an MOT certificate if you are driving to the MOT test centre (you may be asked to prove you’ve booked a test).

If your car has just failed its MOT you’re allowed to drive it if the MOT for the previous year hasn’t yet run out. However, you should always ensure your vehicle is roadworthy before driving it.

Watch out for defects

An MOT checks a number of specific things about your vehicle. And just because your car passed its MOT that doesn’t mean that you can ignore changes or problems with your car over the coming year. If you drive your vehicle in dangerous condition (defective steering, worn tyres, faulty brakes etc) then you can face a much bigger fine and penalty points on your licence.

Ask us any questions

Whatever you need, we’re here to help. At Kays we are committed to a good customer experience, so much so that we have voluntarily subscribed to Motor Codes, where we adhere to the UK Motor Industry Code of Practice for MOT’s, Servicing and Repair. We’re on hand to help.

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