legal guide to UK motoring, sections for law enforcement, Driver licensing, learner and new drivers, buying and selling, speeding fines, owning a vehicle, wheel clamping, traffic information
 
Your legal guide to motoring
 

Your MOT certificate

Your MOT certificate confirms that at the time of the test your vehicle met, as far as can be reasonably determined without dismantling, the minimum acceptable environmental and road safety standards required by law. It does not mean that the vehicle is roadworthy for the life of the certificate and is not a substitute for regular maintenance.

Why do you need an MOT certificate?

The MOT certificate must be produced with an application for a Vehicle Excise Licence (vehicle tax disc) unless the vehicle is not subject to MOT testing because of its age or type. Police officers are also entitled to ask for production of an MOT test certificate for a vehicle which is liable to testing.

A test certificate relates only to the condition of testable items at the time of the test and should not be regarded as:

  • evidence of their condition at any other time
  • evidence of the general mechanical condition of the vehicle
  • evidence that the vehicle fully complies with all aspects of the law on vehicle construction and use

Checking the authenticity of an MOT certificate

If you have reason to believe the certificate you have been issued is not genuine please contact our enquiry line on 0845 600 5977. Calls are charged at the local rate.

Replacing lost or damaged certificates

If you have lost or damaged your test certificate, but know where and approximately when the vehicle was tested, you can obtain a duplicate test certificate from the MOT test station which tested the vehicle.

The maximum fee for a duplicate certificate for a car is £10.00 or half the test fee if less.

If you do not know where the car was tested originally, you cannot obtain a duplicate certificate. You will need to have your car tested again.

If the test station has closed down, your local Vehicle and Operator Services Agency  office should be able to help.