DVSA Launches MOT Reminder Service

Remembering when your car needs an MOT ought to be simple. Because tests are due from the car’s third birthday, the road tax reminder ought to serve as a prompt to get then test done as well. However, over the life of a car the tax and MOT dates can easily shift out of sync.

Image Credit

There are a number of reasons that this can happen. You might have bought the car second-hand, so shifting the tax to a different date. The car might have spent some time off the road and untaxed. You may have had the MOT done early to coincide with a service. Or you might have changed the tax payments from six months to 12.

Cutting Confusion

Whatever the reason the dates might be different, missing an MOT is not only a pain, it can land you with a £1,000 fine. Fortunately, the DVSA has recognised the problem and launched a reminder service to help drivers stay within the law.

You can sign up to use the service for free, and it will send you an email or text message four weeks before the MOT test is due. This should help prevent you forgetting the date and risking a fine. More than a million motorists have already signed up for the service. If you sell or scrap the car, you can easily unsubscribe from the reminder service so you don’t get reminders for a car you no longer have.

Image Credit

Getting Tested

In order to have the car tested you need to go to an approved testing station. If you are in Gloucester MOT tests are available at many garages alongside their other services. There is a standard fee for the test. If your vehicle fails, you can in some circumstances have a retest free or for a reduced charge.

For those with classic cars, an MOT test may not always be necessary. Pre-1960 cars have been exempt from the test for quite some time, but as of May 2018 MOT exemption has been brought into line with the road tax exemption for 40-year-old vehicles. However, you must declare that your vehicle is exempt by completing a form V112 at the Post Office when it reaches its 40th birthday. This declares it as a Vehicle of Historic Interest (VHI).