MOT Testing - When should a vehicle be tested?

If a vehicle is registered with no prior use on the road, its first MOT will be required three years after the date of registration. For example, a vehicle registered "from new" on 1st March 2005 will require its first MOT no later than 1st March 2008.

If a vehicle is used prior to registration, such as an import, the MOT will be required three years from the end of the year of manufacture. For example a vehicle manufactured at any time in 2004 will require an MOT no later than 31st December 2007.

An MOT test can be carried out at any time.

If the vehicle is tested within the calendar month prior to when its MOT is due, the test certificate will run from the date of the test to one year after the expiry date of the current certificate. For example, if the current certificate was due to expire on 1st March 2008, and the vehicle was presented on or after 2 February 2008, the certificate would run from the test date until 1st March 2009.

The same rule would also apply when the vehicle is taken in within a calendar month of its first MOT. In this case, the vehicle owner would need to present their registration document.

If the vehicle is tested earlier than one month before its due date, the MOT will only run for twelve months.