Guide to MOT Test

The yearly MOT test for your car can be a scary experience. You drop it off at the garage unsure of whether it will pass or result in a sizable fine. How does the MOT test work, and why could your car fail it? What is an MOT? If your vehicle is more than three years old, it must undergo an annual health inspection known as an MOT Telford test. Inspecting components like the brakes, steering, tyres, and fuel system, make sure your car is safe to drive.

The price of an MOT varies depending on the size of your car, and you can sign up for a free MOT reminder to make sure you don't forget. In an MOT test, each item get evaluated and one of five possible results is pass, advisory, minor defect, major defect, or dangerous defect—is given. You may check the MOT history of a used automobile to make sure that it has a valid certificate, doesn't have any advisories that might need maintenance in the future, and that the mileage is correct. What's inspected during an MOT? The MOT test's goal is to verify that your vehicle is safe enough to become driven on the roadway. During the MOT examination of your car, the mechanic will check for the following:

That all seat belts are properly fastened and all chairs are properly placed

That the wipers, washers and windscreen are in good working order

There are functioning external lights.

Each lock operates, and the doors close securely.

No structural issues exist, such as significant rust.

The steering and brakes function properly.

The tyres are intact and have sufficient wear.

It's important to remember that the MOT test only provides a snapshot of your car's current state; you should do routine inspections to ensure it's safe to drive. The test will simply determine whether your engine and gearbox are secure; it won't necessarily reveal any problems with how well they're operating. An automobile may have flaws even though its MOT test certificate is still valid. MOT pass and failure types Having a MOT on your car has five potential consequences. These are:

Pass

Advisory

Minor flaws

Major flaws

Dangerous flaws

A pass is self-explanatory; your car is safe and no further action is required until the following MOT in a year. Even if your car detects a little flaw or warning, it is still safe to drive. The former suggests a potential problem; possibly a tire's tread is getting close to the legal limit. Major flaws are, well, more major; you aren't allowed to drive your car until there are no problems or if your current MOT hasn't run out, unless you're driving to a mechanic to get it fixed. Major flaws make a vehicle potentially unsafe for its occupants or other road users. But even something as seemingly unimportant — and inexpensive to fix — as a broken wiper blade might have a serious flaw.

The severity of dangerous flaws increases. Even if the current MOT hasn't run out or you're traveling to a garage for repair, if one of these is actually found during your vehicle's MOT test, it won't get allowed for driving on the road.

This sort of thing would be a complete brake light failure. How much time does an MOT take? The actual MOT test shouldn't last more than 60 minutes, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll go through the procedure quickly. The majority of garages ask that you drop the car down in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. Of course, that only matters if your car has a clean inspection.

If it fails and your old MOT test certificate has expired, you can only drive your car immediately to a repair facility; if you do otherwise, you run the risk of getting caught and having your car's insurance policy voided. How to look up a car's MOT history When seeking to purchase a used vehicle, examining the MOT history can be quite helpful because it provides a wealth of information regarding the vehicle's condition and maintenance history.

Utilizing the Government MOT History Checker, you can view the MOT history. You can view the MOT Telford history of the vehicle you want to purchase by simply typing its registration number into the search field.