Having an MOT carried out is a legal requirement that has been in place since the early 1960s. It all started when the DVLA wanted to check that a car was safe to be driven and was in a road-worthy condition. In fact, the test is so stringent that there are over 600 different ways you can fail!
Here at V12 Sports and Classics, we carry out a 128 comprehensive multi-point check before we advertise all of our vehicles, however that doesn’t mean that a yearly MOT isn’t necessary. Read on to find out everything you need to know…
The Basics
Although it can be an inconvenience, an MOT is in place in order to guarantee the safety of every driver on the road. After all, without an inspection from a professional there could be a lingering and potentially dangerous fault developing.
An MOT is first carried out on a vehicles 3rd birthday and must be redone on an annual basis following that. Since it is a visual check, the examiners are not allowed the change anything which means that you must have a service carried out too.
Preparation
Since you can fail an MOT test in hundreds of different ways, it is impossible to prepare for everything. With this said, statistics show that vehicles tend to fail on issues with lighting, signalling and breaking so it is important to ensure that your car is in tip top condition before your MOT. For example, it is wise to check that all of your lights are working and that your tyres correspond to the minimum tread depth of 1.6mm as no stone will be unturned by the scrutiny of the examiner.
Failing an MOT
Around 40% of vehicles fail an MOT every single year so a fail doesn’t come as much of a shock for many motorists. If you fail your test then you will be issued with a VT30 certificate. After this, it is your responsibility to ensure that the problems that have been found are dealt with as soon as possible so you can have your vehicle retested for free within 10 working days. With this said, it is important to query any suspicious MOT’s as many garages are not afraid to make up issues in order to extort money from drivers.
Passing an MOT
Thankfully, 60% of drivers will pass their MOT test every year and are issued with a VT20 certificate in order to show that their vehicle meets the legal requirement for road safety. After this, a test is not required for another year and drivers are able to drive out of the garage straight away.
An MOT test takes about 60 minutes to carry out which is why most drivers will drop off their vehicle and pick it up at a later time. Since it is a legal requirement, driving without an MOT can land you in hot water and you can be find up to £1,000 or even have you vehicle impounded.
After all, the only time you are allowed to drive a vehicle without an MOT is when you are on your way to a pre-booked appointment for the test. Here at V12 Sports and Classics, the majority of our used vehicles are over 3 years old which means that they require annual MOT tests. Get in contact today to find out more information!