Vehicle Test Certificate Explained

The MOT test is no doubt something you have heard of before, but you don't pay that much interest to what it actually is before you are a car driver and faced with the prospect of requiring such a test on your vehicle.

So what does the MOT in MOT stand for? A surprising number of people don't know - but it simply stands for Ministry of Transport.

This is an annual test that is done on a car to ensure that it roadworthy essentially. It tests things like the brakes, steering, lighting, tyres, washers, wipers, wheels, bodywork, horn, suspension, the noise from the exhaust and also the emissions from the vehicle - in summary it is a comprehensive test to ensure that when you are driving the vehicle it is safe for you and therefore other road users that you are on the road in that vehicle.

So who needs an MOT? Well, if the car that you are driving is over three years old then it needs a test from an approved MOT tester once a year. The vehicle can be tested up to a month before the current one expires.

If you need an MOT test certificate for your vehicle, as outlined above, and don't have one, then you are committing an offence. If a request is ever made by the police to see the MOT certificate then you must produce it within seven days of the request being made.

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