How to Prepare Your Car for an MOT
Many MOT faults are simple to catch beforehand. Use this checklist for lights, tyres, wipers and warning lights before you book your test.
To prepare your car for an MOT, walk round it the week before and check the lights, tyres, wipers, washers, mirrors, horn, seat belts, number plates and dashboard warning lights. These take a few minutes. In figures published in 2017, DVSA said nearly half of MOT faults could have been avoided with simple regular checks, and lighting and signalling was the most common problem.
When your MOT is due
Most cars need a first MOT by the third anniversary of registration, then one every year. You can get a test up to a month minus a day before the current one runs out and keep the same renewal date. So if your MOT ends on 15 May, the earliest date is 16 April.
You can check the date on the free GOV.UK MOT history service. Once an MOT has expired, you can’t drive or park on the road, apart from driving to or from a repair or a pre-booked test. The fine for driving without a valid MOT can be up to £1,000.
Your pre-MOT checklist
Lights
Ask someone to stand outside the car while you work through headlights on dip and main beam, sidelights, indicators, hazards, brake lights, reversing lights, fog lights and number plate lights. Look for cracked lenses and loose units as well as blown bulbs.
Tyres
The legal minimum tread depth for a car is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, around the whole tyre. To check it, put a 20p coin in the main grooves. If you can see the coin’s outer band, the tread may be close to the limit, so get it measured. Also check for cuts and bulges, and set the pressures to the figures in the handbook.
Wipers and washers
Blades shouldn’t smear or have torn edges. Top up the screenwash before the test, because an empty bottle is an easy way to pick up a fault.
Windscreen and view of the road
Check for chips and cracks in front of the driver. Remove stickers, air fresheners and anything else in your line of sight.
Brakes
Check that the car stops in a straight line and that the handbrake holds. Our guide to the signs your brake pads need replacing explains what to listen for. If you find a fault, we can help with brake repairs before the test.
Suspension and steering
Listen for clonks over speed bumps. Check that the steering feels tight and that the car doesn’t pull to one side. Knocks often come from worn joints or bushes, and we can look at those through our suspension repairs.
Warning lights
Turn on the ignition and check the warning lights come on and then go out. An engine warning light that stays on is a major defect on many cars. ABS warning faults can also be major defects, and an illuminated brake fluid warning is a minor defect, so don’t ignore them.
Smaller items
- Sound the horn.
- Check seat belts latch, release and retract, and aren’t frayed.
- Make sure mirrors are secure and undamaged.
- Clean the number plates so they’re easy to read.
- Check the fuel cap seals properly.
- Check that the VIN on the car matches the V5C logbook.
- Top up the oil and other fluids if they’re low.
On test day
Clean the car and empty the boot. The RAC warns that an excessively dirty or cluttered car could be refused a test. Book the test for a time that leaves room for repairs before your current certificate runs out.
What the results mean
- Dangerous: a fail. The car can’t be driven until it’s repaired.
- Major: a fail. It must be repaired.
- Minor: a pass, but the fault needs repairing as soon as possible.
- Advisory: a pass, with something to monitor. Don’t ignore these, as they often become next year’s fail.
An MOT doesn’t prove your car is safe for the next 12 months. GOV.UK says it can still be unsafe even with a current certificate, and the car is your responsibility all year.
Help before the test
We don’t carry out MOT tests, which must be done at an approved test centre. What we do offer is pre-MOT preparation at your home or workplace, where we go through the car, tell you what looks likely to cause a problem and fix what can be fixed on site, subject to the suitability of the job and location. If you’ve had a fail or an advisory sheet, send us a copy when you ask for a quote, as it tells us exactly what needs attention.