Every vehicle in the UK needs to be tested each year to
ensure that it complies with at least the minimum
road safety and environmental standards. If you have a
vehicle that is more than three years old, it will need
an MOT test.
About the MOT
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.