CAR MOT

Book your MOTThe purpose of the car MOT is to ensure that your vehicle meets the minimum safety level required by law. If your vehicle is older than 3 years you are required to have an annual safety check, known as MOT (Ministry Of Transport) test. During the MOT the tester will conduct an inspection and a comprehensive series of checks around the vehicle. This includes the interior, exterior, under the bonnet and under the vehicle.

Once the MOT test is completed, you will receive either a Pass or Fail – with a corresponding certificate. If your car passes its MOT, you will receive a VT20 MOT certificate. In the likelihood of failing your MOT, test centres issue a VT30 ‘Refusal of an MOT Test Certificate’. This will include the details of your car, the MOT test number and reasons why it didn’t pass.The primary goal is checking vehicle safety and roadworthiness with brakes and emissions receiving special attention. An MOT is necessary once a vehicle is three years old and then annually thereafter. The MOT test is only a visual check so examiners are not allowed to make any changes or repairs but you still need, from a maintenance point of view, to book a regular service.

Changes to the MOT test

May 2018 saw a few changes to the MOT test in England, Scotland and Wales. It affects cars, vans, motorcycles and other light passenger vehicles. Defects identified in an MOT test are classified as minor, major or dangerous. During the MOT test, the defect category will depend on the type of problem and how serious it is. MOT testers will give advice on the items in question that need close monitoring and repair if necessary.Below is a breakdown of all the different defect categories and subsequent test results.

Defect Category
Item Description
MOT Result
Dangerous A defect that has a direct and immediate risk to road safety or presents a serious impact on the environment. Do not drive the vehicle until it has been repaired. Fail
Major Possible effect on vehicle safety and may put other road users at risk or have an impact on the environment. Repair the defect immediately. Fail
Minor No significant effect on the safety of the vehicle or impact on the environment. Repairs are required as soon as possible. Pass
Advisory Not a safety concern yet but could become more serious in the future. Monitor and repair if needed. Pass
Pass It meets the minimum legal standard. Ensure that it continues to meet the standard. Pass

There are also stricter emission limits for diesel cars with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Your vehicle will get a major fault if smoke of any colour is emitted during the MOT test or if there is clear evidence that the DPF has been tampered with.The MOT certificate has also changed in terms of design and content. It now lists all defects under the new categories making it clear and easy to understand. Vehicles older than 40 years do not need an MOT unless they have ‘substantially changed’. You can check a vehicle’s registration date online if you are unsure. Before the new changes, only cars built before 1960 were not required to get the test.Among other changes, the new MOT test includes checking steering systems, reversing lights and brake discs. A heavy leak in the steering box will now result in failing your MOT test. Reversing lights that don’t work or blown bulbs are also scrutinised. In addition, significantly or obviously worn brake discs will also result in an automatic fail.While we have mentioned some of the important elements of the new MOT test, please contact Elite Garages if you would like additional information.

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MOT test at Elite Garages

We perform MOT tests on cars and small commercial vehicles at all of our branches except Strood. The MOT test takes about an hour. After completion, the technicians will inform you of the results and advise if any work is required in the event of a fail. We also offer a FREE retest within 10 working days.  You can also sign up for our FREE text reminder service so you will never forget your MOT date.It’s important to ensure that your MOT is up to date and that you don’t miss your annual test. If you do, it carries a fine of £1000 and your insurance would be invalid so Book your MOT before it’s too late.


FAQs on MOTs

Click the + to read any answer or visit our most FAQ page to review the most frequently asked questions across all our Elite Locations.

If you click on a ‘Category’ or ‘Tag’ link, the page will ‘refresh’ and reload the page showing the top of the page first, you’ll then just need to scroll down to the FAQ section to see the results for the Category or Tag you selected.

Categories: Brighton, Car Servicing, MOT

Some customers will have a bronze car service one year and a silver car service the next so if they’re not doing the mileage, it’s not always advised to book a silver car service every year. Most of our customers book an MOT and service at the same time.

Tags: Car Service, MOT
Category: MOT

Absolutely! With more than 11,000 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras strategically placed all over the UK, 50 million records are scanned every single day. These hi-tech surveillance devices and police on patrol can instantly identify if a vehicle has an up-to date MOT or not.

Tag: MOT
Categories: Bournemouth, MOT

Our MOTs are competitively priced and in accordance with industry standards although vary depending upon location and time of year.  You can check our prices based on where you want to have your MOT done by going to the MOT page and selecting your desired location, date and time.

Tag: Pricing

Yes, even electric cars need an annual MOT once they are three years and older. The main difference is that a car with an internal combustion engine (ICE) has an exhaust system which needs to be tested, whereas this is not required during an EV service. If your vehicle is due an MOT, click here to make an appointment.

Categories: Caterham, MOT, Newport, Portsmouth

Yes, you certainly can and it’s often something we recommend. In fact, around 95% of the time our customers get a premium or standard service with their MOT. Click these links to find  out what’s included in an MOT and what’s the difference between a Service and an MOT

Tags: Car Service, MOT

Most customers will have a standard service one year and premium service the following year. If they’re not doing the mileage, there’s no point doing a premium service every year. 95% of the time customers get a service with their MOT. Click these links to find  out what’s included in an MOT and what’s the difference between a Service and an MOT