When will my car need its first MOT?

When will my car need its first MOT?

There are many positives to owning a brand new car. One particularly pleasing benefit is the long gap before its first MOT is due.

Cars fresh from the showroom are unlikely to require any immediate repairs. This means an MOT is unnecessary. But it is important to keep up to date with service checks which will identify any potential flaws early.

What is an MOT

An MOT tests the road worthiness of a vehicle to ensure it is safe and doesn’t endanger other road users. Motorists are legally obliged to book their car in for an annual MOT once it is three years old. Any car less than three years old will not need an MOT.

Unless you sign up to a reminder scheme, it will be up to you to look back at your car’s records to see when it was first registered. An MOT is due exactly three calendar years after this date.

The information is normally found on the vehicle’s V5C booklet (log book). So if your car was first registered on April 1 2010 then its first MOT will be due on April 1 2013.

Some vehicles require an MOT at the end of its first year, including ambulances, taxis and private passenger vehicles.

You can renew or book in for your first MOT up to a month before its due and an MOT certificate will be valid for 12 months following the test. Only a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) approved MOT centre will be acceptable.

Official MOT test centres will display a blue sign with three white triangles. They must also display contact details and fees and appeals information for the DVSA in a public area on the premises.

There are more than 19,000 MOT testing stations in the country but if you’re struggling to find one there’s a number of online resources to help you identify your nearest.

It is a criminal offence to drive a vehicle without a valid MOT. The only exception is if you’re driving your car to a garage to have its MOT.

Many people rely on their MOT certificate to remind them of the date that it’s next due. If you’ve lost your MOT certificate, it is possible to order a replacement simply by calling the MOT centre which carried it out in the first place.

You will need your vehicle registration number and the original MOT test number or alternatively the log book (V5C) reference number. You are likely to be charged up to £10 for the replacement copy.

MOT history for a secondhand car

If you’ve bought a secondhand vehicle and don’t know the MOT history, you can obtain this information via the DVSA.