All vehicles 3 years old or more are required by law, to have a valid MOT test certificate which should be renewed annually. It is your responsibility to ensure your vehicle is examined every 12 months. You can find the expiry date of your MOT on your existing MOT test certificate and you can have your vehicle MOT tested up to 28 days in advance.
The expiry date on your new MOT is 12 months from the expiry of your old one rather than 12 months from the day you took the test, so as long as your MOT test is due in the next 28 days, you won’t lose any days for having your vehicle tested early.
Without a current MOT certificate, you will be unable to drive your vehicle lawfully or renew your road tax. The penalty for not having an up to date MOT certificate could be a fine. Also if the vehicle is involved in an accident you may be asked to produce your MOT certificate. An insurance claim could be affected by the absence of your MOT, especially in the case of injury.
Recent computerisation of the MOT testing system by DVSA means police and mobile camera units can now check remotely to see if your vehicle has a current MOT.
