When is my MOT due and how early can I test?

The date you need is on your current MOT certificate, and you can also look it up on the government vehicle check service using your registration number. For most cars and vans the certificate lasts twelve months, so the test is due again on or before that expiry date.

You are allowed to take the test early. If you do it in the window that opens one month (minus a day) before the expiry date, the new certificate keeps the same renewal date as before. This article explains the timing rules, what changes if you test earlier than that, and how to avoid the awkward situation of discovering the date has already passed.

How do I find out when my MOT expires?

The simplest route is the paper certificate, but plenty of people no longer have one. The online MOT history check shows the expiry date for any vehicle when you type in the registration number, and it is free to use. A free text or email reminder service is also available.

A brand new car does not need its first MOT until the third anniversary of its registration. After that, the test is due every twelve months. If your vehicle was first registered some years ago, the date is simply the one on the latest pass certificate.

• Check the paper certificate if you still have it
• Use the online MOT history check with your registration
• Ask for a reminder by text or email

How early can I get an MOT without losing my renewal date?

You can have the test done up to a month minus one day before the current certificate runs out and the new one will still start from the old expiry date. For example, if your MOT expires on the 20th of a month, the early window opens on the 21st of the previous month. A pass inside that window therefore gives you a full twelve months from the old date, with nothing wasted.

Testing earlier than that is possible, but the new certificate then runs for twelve months from the day of the test. That moves your renewal date forward.

What if I book the MOT early and it fails?

Booking inside the early window gives you breathing space for exactly this reason. If the car fails, you still have the old certificate in force until its expiry date, so time remains to repair the fault and have it retested. Whether you may keep driving in the meantime depends on how serious the fault is: a dangerous defect means the car must not be driven, whatever date is on the old certificate.

Leaving the test to the last day removes that margin. A failed car on the final day, with parts to order, can leave you without a valid certificate while the repair is finished.

Does an MOT date change if I get my car serviced or repaired first?

No. A service or repair does not alter the MOT expiry. The date moves only when a new test is passed. What a service does do is catch the kind of things that fail tests, such as worn brake components, blown bulbs, perished wiper blades and tyres close to the legal limit.

To avoid a surprise, ask for a service and MOT together. At Automaster, a garage at Longcombe Cross near Totnes, we test Class 4 cars and Class 7 vans.

What happens if my MOT has already run out?

Once the certificate has expired, the vehicle is not legally allowed on the road, with two exceptions: driving it to a pre-booked MOT appointment, or to a place where repairs are being carried out after a failed test. Outside those cases you risk a fine, and your insurer may take a dim view of a claim made on a vehicle with no valid MOT.

You also cannot tax the vehicle without a valid MOT. If the date has passed, the practical step is to book a test straight away and drive directly to it, taking the shortest sensible route.