Check a vehicle’s MOT history
See when the MOT runs out, every test the vehicle has taken, the mileage recorded each time, and the advisories a garage flagged.
Enter any UK registration and you get the full DVSA test record: pass or fail, the expiry date, how many days are left, and the defects a tester noted each time. Works for cars, vans and motorcycles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Free, no account and no card. If a test is due we will point you to the checks worth making first, so a failure does not catch you out.
What the record tells you
The expiry date answers the question most people arrive with. The rest of the record is where the useful detail lives: what a garage kept flagging, and whether the mileage ever went backwards.
- Repeat advisories
- An advisory noted at two tests in a row usually means the fault was never repaired. We group them so they are hard to miss.
- Mileage that goes backwards
- Readings are compared across every test. A drop has innocent explanations, but it is worth knowing about.
- What the record cannot say
- An unreadable odometer and a Northern Irish test without defect detail are shown as exactly that, never as a clean result.
MOT valid until
14 March 2027
188 days left
- Vehicle
- Ford Focus, silver
- Last test
- Pass2 March 2026
- Mileage
- 94,210 miles
Advisory noted at two tests
Offside rear shock absorber has a slight misting of oil
The numbers worth knowing
£54.85
Most a garage may charge
The maximum MOT fee for a car. £29.65 for a standard motorcycle. Many garages charge less. GOV.UK
1 month
How early you can test
Test up to a month before the current one expires and you keep the same renewal date. Going early costs you nothing. GOV.UK
£1,000
Fine for driving without one
You also cannot renew your vehicle tax until the vehicle has passed its MOT. GOV.UK
3 years
Before the first MOT
Most cars, vans and motorcycles need their first test by the third anniversary of registration. GOV.UK
MOT guides
All guidesWhen is my MOT due?
How to find your MOT expiry date, when the first test falls due, and how to be reminded before it runs out.
What happens if your MOT runs out
The fine for driving without a valid MOT, what it does to your tax and insurance, and the one journey you are still allowed to make.
How much does an MOT cost?
The maximum a garage may charge, what the retest costs, and why most places charge less than the cap.
MOT advisories explained
What dangerous, major, minor and advisory actually mean on an MOT certificate, and which ones you have to act on.
What is checked in an MOT test?
The parts of the vehicle a tester looks at, what is not covered, and the simple checks worth doing before you go.
Can you tax a car without an MOT?
Why vehicle tax and the MOT are linked, and the situations where you can still tax a vehicle without a current test.
Common questions
- When is my first MOT due?
- Most cars, vans and motorcycles need their first MOT by the third anniversary of registration. If a vehicle has not been tested yet, the record shows the date the first test falls due.
- How early can I book?
- You can take the test up to one month before the current one expires and keep the same renewal date, so booking early costs you nothing and leaves time for repairs.
- What happens if my MOT has run out?
- You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT, and you cannot renew your vehicle tax until the vehicle has passed. You may drive to a pre-booked test appointment, but nowhere else.
- How far back does the record go?
- Tests in England, Scotland and Wales from 2005 onwards, Northern Ireland from 2017, and heavy vehicles from 2018.
- Does it cover Northern Ireland?
- Yes, for tests carried out since 2017. Northern Irish records do not include the individual defects and advisories, so those sections stay empty rather than showing a clean sheet.
- Are older vehicles exempt?
- Vehicles built or first registered more than 40 years ago are usually exempt, provided they have not been substantially changed. The keeper declares this on form V112.