Last updated 7 October 2026.
When a car needs an MOT
In Great Britain a car needs its first MOT by the third anniversary of its registration, then one every year after that. The date on the last MOT certificate tells you when the next one is due.
- Test early and keep your date: you can have the MOT up to a month (minus a day) before it runs out and still keep the same renewal date.
- No MOT, no driving: you can be fined up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT, except when driving to a booked test.
- Northern Ireland has its own testing system, so those records aren't included here.
What the MOT date tells a buyer
A car with a long MOT left saves you a test straight away, but the date alone doesn't tell you how the car has been treated. The full MOT history shows every failure and advisory, the mileage at each test, and problems that were noted year after year and never fixed.
A clean MOT also says nothing about insurance write-offs or finance. Those records aren't part of the MOT, so check them separately with a write-off check and a finance check.
MOT records are also free to view on GOV.UK. Car Control isn't connected to the DVSA: we use their published data under the Open Government Licence.