The End of the MOT Extension

Published on 31st August 2020

Due to the current pandemic, drivers were granted a six months extension of their MOT certificate, if it was due after 30th March. This ended on 31st July.  This means that any MOT due on, or after the 1st of August, will not qualify for an extension.  As at all times, you are required to keep the vehicle in a safe condition.  It may be unsafe even if it has a current MOT certificate.  You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

When your vehicle is tested, it will fail if there are any ‘dangerous’ or ‘major’ problems.  You might also get a list of ‘minor’ or ‘advisory’ problems to monitor or fix in the future. You’ll get a ‘refusal of an MOT test certificate’ from the test centre and it will be recorded in the MOT database.  You can take your vehicle away if your current MOT certificate is still valid and no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed.  Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.  If you can take your vehicle away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times.

When your car is retested after a repair, in some cases, it can have a partial retest for free or a reduced MOT fee.  You only need a partial retest if you leave the vehicle at the test centre for repair and it’s retested within 10 working days. There’s no fee for this.  You can take your vehicle away for repair if your MOT certificate is still valid.  If your MOT has run out you can take your vehicle to have the failed defects fixed or to a pre-arranged MOT test appointment.  In both cases, your vehicle still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times or you can be fined.  You will not have to pay again if you take it back to the same test centre before the end of the next working day for a partial retest after a repair.  You’ll only need a partial retest if you take the vehicle from the test centre for repairs and take it back within 10 working days. You can be charged a partial retest fee for this.  In all other cases, you’ll need to get a full retest and pay the full MOT test fee again.  It is possible to appeal the initial failure if you think the result is wrong.

 John Norrie, Group Chairman