All cars over three years old need to have a valid MOT certificate. An MOT is an inspection that is carried out on the vehicle by a certified garage. All MOT testing centres have a tick sheet of items that need to be checked during an MOT and they will report back any findings that they come across in regards to items that do not meet the standards or are close to not meeting the standards. These items are then put on to the MOT report which will show if that car has passed or failed. If the car fails on any of the MOT checklist items it will instantly fail and these issues will need to be rectified before a valid MOT can be issued. If they are close to failing then they will be put on an advisory list.

All MOT’s are now stored on a central Government system which the police and other authorities have access to. You are not allowed to drive a car on the road without a valid MOT unless you are driving it to a MOT testing station and have booked it in.