When your MOT is due

For most cars, motorcycles and vans in Great Britain, GOV.UK says the first MOT is due by the third anniversary of registration, and after that by each anniversary of the last MOT. Some vehicles are tested from one year old. Northern Ireland runs a different timetable.

Use GOV.UK's getting an MOT for the rule that applies to the vehicle in front of you, including the fees table that shows which vehicles are tested at one year. This page is only a guide to the date you see in a history result.

The date on a pass

A pass has an expiry date. That is the date the certificate runs to. This site shows the latest expiry DVSA returned on a passed test, and says whether that date is still ahead or already past, using the UK calendar date. A failure on its own does not carry a new expiry. If you fail a test while an older certificate is still in date, the old expiry can still be the one on the record. The failure items are still real. Do not treat "valid until" as permission to drive a vehicle with a dangerous defect.

Testing early

GOV.UK says you can get an MOT up to a month, minus a day, before it runs out and keep the same renewal date. It also says this does not apply in the same way if the last MOT was in Northern Ireland and the next test is in Great Britain.

Example, using the published rule rather than a real vehicle. The MOT runs out on 10 June. One month minus a day before that is 11 May, which is the earliest test that keeps 10 June as the renewal day. If the vehicle passes on 9 May instead, the new expiry becomes one year minus a day from 9 May, which is 8 May the following year.

You can test earlier still. You just do not keep the old anniversary.

If the date has passed

GOV.UK says you cannot drive or park the vehicle on the road once the MOT has run out, and that you can be fined up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT. It also describes two exceptions: driving to or from a place where it will be repaired, and driving to a pre-arranged MOT test. Those are GOV.UK's words to follow, not a permission slip from this website. The same official page explains that you cannot renew vehicle tax while the MOT has expired, and what to do if the tax is also due.

A new vehicle with no tests

Some unused registrations come back with a first due date and an empty test list. That date is when DVSA says the first test is due. It is not a pass, and there is no expiry yet because nothing has been tested.

If you need a reminder or a booking, use GOV.UK or, for a Northern Ireland vehicle, nidirect. This site does not book tests and does not send reminders.