How to Check When Your MOT is Due | Chapelhouse Insights
When is my MOT renewal date?
Your MOT test is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness, and exhaust emissions. It stands for Ministry of Transport, and the test was introduced to the UK in 1960. It is a legal requirement every year for all cars over three years old.
Your test certificate is valid for 12 months, so your MOT expires exactly a year after the last test.
You can book a test up to a month minus a day in advance of the expiration to keep the same MOT due date. For example, if the MOT runs out on the 17th May the earliest you can take it for a new certificate is on 18th April.
How can I check when my MOT test is due?
To check when your MOT is due, you can visit the government website and enter the registration number.
You can also use the Department of Transport's free reminder service to check your MOT status. All you need in the vehicle's registration number and an email address or phone number. You'll receive an email or a text message reminding you of when it's due.
How long can I drive for without an MOT?
You cannot drive a vehicle for any length of time without an MOT. It is illegal to drive your car without a valid MOT certificate. You can't even park it on a public road, according to government guidelines.
If your car failed a recent test, you are allowed to drive it as long as you're driving to an MOT test centre to have it retested or for necessary repairs to be carried out.
You could face a fine of £1000 if caught on the road in a car without an MOT. If the car was considered 'dangerous' or had major faults when previously tested, the penalty will be even bigger - a £2,500 fine and three points on your licence. You may even face a driving ban.
It's imperative that your car has a valid certificate to ensure that you, your passengers and other road users and pedestrians are always kept as safe as possible.
Free MOT for life
Another extra cost may seem like an unwanted bother at a time when the cost of driving seems to be getting higher. At Chapelhouse, we offer our customers a free MOT test for life*. This applies to any make or any model, but the car must have been bought at a Chapelhouse dealership.
*Free MOT test applies when your vehicle is maintained by Chapelhouse. This can be a service within the last six months or a simultaneous service and MOT test booking. Any re-test will also be free, as long as the work on the car is completed by Chapelhouse. The scheme covers the cost of MOT test fees only. Should any remedial work be required, this will be at your own expense, and a cost estimate will be provided. Applies only to retail customers/privately owned vehicles. May not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Chapelhouse reserves the right to withdraw the scheme without notice, and also confirms that if any of the terms and conditions are not met, the voucher becomes void.
