Your car or motorcycle will require an MOT every year, on or before the anniversary of its previous test. This is not only a safety precaution, it is a legal requirement.

As an exception, new cars and motorcycles will only need an MOT after their 3rd year of operation, and then every year following that.

You can book your MOT however far in advance of your due date as you wish, but you will only get a certificate for a full year from the renewal date if the MOT is done within 28 days prior to renewal. Otherwise, it’s a year from the date the MOT is completed and not the renewal.

MOT tests assess every working component of your vehicle for correct operation, from seatbelts to brakes; exhausts to steering systems.

For a full breakdown of what’s included, take a look at our handy MOT checklist.

The answer to this is simple: your vehicle! Previous MOT certification is not necessary, as Universal Tyres will be able to look up your car or motorcycle’s details on the DVSA system.

Many vehicle owners choose to have their car serviced at the same time as getting an MOT, and in these cases it’s useful to take along your logbook/service history so that the person carrying out the work has an idea of what has been performed previously on the vehicle.

If your car doesn’t meet the standard required on any of the points tested during an MOT, it will be failed and issued with a ‘refusal of MOT certificate’. If this happens, you have a couple of options:

Valid MOT

• If you need to take your car away from the test centre to carry out necessary repairs, your existing MOT certificate remains valid until its expiry date.
• Should your previous MOT have expired, you are legally entitled to take your vehicle away to have any faults fixed, as well as onwards to a pre-arranged MOT retest.

Retest

• If your vehicle fails but remains at the test centre for repair and is retested within 10 working days, the retest is provided for free.
• Similarly, if a partial retest is required (e.g. on a failure related to doors, mirrors, other bodywork or minor operational components), and the vehicle is taken back to the same test centre within 24 hours, a free retest may also be provided.
• If a car is taken away from the test centre to have repairs carried out, and is returned for a retest within 10 working days, then a partial retest fee is applied

Universal Tyres perform MOT and servicing in a number of locations across the South East. Contact your local Universal Tyres MOT test centre today to book your vehicle in:

• Chelmsford
• Colchester
• Greenwich
• Ipswich
• Plaistow
• Staines
• Thurrock
• Tottenham