All vehicles that are older than three years old are strictly prohibited from being driven on the roads in the UK without a check mot history, and you are only able to use your vehicle if you have been given the official VT20 or VT32 safety certificate. Without receiving your MOT, your car is not considered safe enough to be driven and you will not be able to renew your insurance or vehicle tax. In short, you are not going to be able to use your vehicle in any capacity. If you were to drive your vehicle on the road without a valid MOT you could face a fine of up to £1000. With this in mind, the importance of an MOT test cannot be underestimated. In this blog, we run through some of the most interesting and surprising facts about MOT’s.
When MOT become a necessity?
Here we have compiled some of the most frequent MOT failures, with the percentage of how many cars have failed because of this fault:
• Lighting and signaling – 18.4%
• Suspension – 12%
• Brakes – 9.6%
• Tyres – 7.4%
• Driver’s view of the road – 6.6%
• Of course, cars can fail the MOT test based on multiple factors; in fact, the average number of fail items is 2.99.
Here at Adderley Green Garage, our team specializes in car and motorcycle MOTs, providing a full range of services. When it’s time for your check mot status in Stoke-on-Trent, we can carry out tests on all sorts of vehicles, from vans and light commercials through to motor homes. Get in touch with our friendly team to find out more.
A POORLY MAINTAINED REG PLATE COULD FAIL YOUR MOT
14% of MOT test failures are due to dirty, damaged or faulty rag plates – your rag plate should always be visible. It’s an easy fix, so make sure your rag plate is clean and easy to read.
How long does an MOT take?
The average MOT test in the UK takes anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour. Obviously, this average takes into account the fact a large number of vehicles will pass without needing any labor or parts replacing. For this reason, the timing can vary depending on the status of your vehicle.
A test centre is unable to allow you to drive away if your car has failed to pass its mot history, except if you're taking your car to have the necessary repairs or your existing MOT certificate is still valid. In this instance, you need to be prepared to be without a vehicle until the repairs are completed.
Also, many test centers will be too busy to MOT your car straight away, and will ask you to drop the car off in the morning so that it is waiting as soon as they are ready to begin the test. This will be discussed with you but in most cases expect the possibility of being without your car for multiple hours, or even the whole day.
How often do I need to get an MOT?
You must get an MOT for your vehicle by either the third anniversary of its registration, or by the anniversary of its last MOT, if the vehicle is over 3 years old. If your MOT runs out, you won't be able to drive or park your vehicle on the road so make sure to renew your MOT before the anniversary date, to account for any repairs you may need to make, or to go through the process of declaring it off-the-road if you need to.

Some drivers prefer to match up their check mot with the time of year they renew their car insurance policy, and to renew both at the same time. If you're looking to do this, use our price comparison service to find cheap car insurance options to go alongside your MOT.