How to prepare for your MOT

A lot of what the MOT looks at is easy to check on your own driveway in ten or fifteen minutes. A blown bulb, a split wiper blade or an empty screenwash bottle can all fail a car, and they’re far cheaper to sort out before the test than after it.

Here’s a checklist to run through in the week before your MOT, based on what the tester will actually look at.

Book at the right time

You can have your MOT up to a month minus a day before the current one runs out and keep the same renewal date. So if your MOT expires on 15 May, you can book it for any day from 16 April and your next one will still be due on 15 May.

Not sure when yours runs out? Check your MOT history on GOV.UK, which shows the expiry date, and sign up for MOT reminders so it doesn’t catch you out next year. Driving without a valid MOT can mean a fine of up to £1,000.

Lights

Lights are the most common area for MOT failures, and a blown bulb is one of the easiest fails to avoid. Switch everything on and walk round the car. For the brake lights, ask someone to press the pedal while you look, or reverse up to a garage door or window and check the reflection.

• Headlights on dipped and main beam
• Sidelights, front and rear
• Brake lights, including the high-level one if your car has it
• Indicators and hazard lights, front, rear and on the sides
• Rear fog light
• Reversing lights
• Number plate light
• Lenses that are cracked, missing or full of water

Tyres

The legal minimum tread depth for a car is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tread, all the way round the tyre. A tread depth gauge costs a few pounds from a motor factor and is far more reliable than guessing.

Check the sidewalls too, including the inside edge if you can see it with the wheels turned. Cuts deep enough to reach the cords, bulges, lumps and exposed cords will all fail. While you’re there, set the pressures to the figures in your handbook or on the sticker inside the door or fuel flap.

Wipers, screenwash and windscreen

The wipers need to clear the screen properly, and the washers need to work and supply enough fluid. Top up the screenwash before you come in, and replace any blades that are torn or leave smears.

Windscreen chips and cracks are judged by size and position. In the 290mm-wide strip directly in front of the driver, centred on the steering wheel, damage bigger than 10mm can fail. Anywhere else in the area the wipers sweep, the limit is 40mm. Small chips can often be repaired, so it’s worth dealing with them early.

Your mirrors should be there, secure and not badly damaged, giving you a proper view behind.

Inside the car

Press the horn: it needs to work and be loud enough for other road users to hear. Then pull each seatbelt out to its full length and look for cuts or fraying in the webbing, check it clicks into the buckle and releases, and make sure it winds back in on its own.

Turn the ignition on and watch the dashboard. Warning lights should come on briefly and then go out. A light that stays on to show a fault, or one that doesn’t light at all, is a fail for these systems:

• Engine management light
• ABS (anti-lock brakes)
• Airbag or SRS light (a passenger airbag you’ve deliberately switched off is fine)
• Electronic stability control
• Electronic power steering
• Electronic parking brake
• Tyre pressure monitoring, on cars first used from 1 January 2012

Number plates

Both plates need to be secure, clean and readable, and show the same registration. Plates with the wrong font or spacing, italic characters, tints or films, or that are cracked or peeling, can fail, so if yours have seen better days, a new pair is an easy fix.

On the day

A tester can refuse to carry out an MOT if the vehicle is too dirty to examine properly, doesn’t have enough fuel or oil to complete the test, or has a boot, door or fuel cap that won’t open. They can also refuse if a load or other items get in the way of a proper test.

• Give the car a wash if it’s muddy, especially underneath and around the plates
• Clear out the boot
• Check there’s enough fuel and that the oil is topped up
• Make sure the boot, doors, bonnet and fuel cap all open
• Bring the locking wheel nut key if your car has one

What the MOT doesn’t check

The MOT checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards, but it doesn’t cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox. A pass doesn’t mean your car is due nothing else, so keep up with your servicing too. Both our interim and full services include a pre-MOT check, which makes them a good thing to book ahead of the test.

Useful links

• MOTs
• Common reasons cars fail their MOT
• Check MOT history (GOV.UK)
• Get MOT reminders (GOV.UK)
• Getting an MOT (GOV.UK)