Just Mots - MOTS Explained

THE MOT TEST

The Ministry of Transport test (more usually: MOT) is an annual test of car safety and roadworthiness aspects applicable to most vehicles over a certain age in the United Kingdom if they are used on public roads. . The MOT test certificates are currently issued in Great Britain under the auspices of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), an agency within the Department for Transport. MOT refers to the inspection itself. The actual designation for the pass certificate is VT20.

It is illegal to drive a non-exempt vehicle that requires a test on public roads without a current MOT, except when driving to or from a pre-booked MOT Test. Possession of an up-to-date VT20 test certificate is a pre-requisite for obtaining a tax disc, and advertisements for used cars frequently say how many months are left to run on the current VT20 certificate.

When originally instituted in 1960 the test applied to vehicles over ten years old. As of 2006, it applies to most road vehicles over three years old, including motorcycles. Ambulances, taxis, and passenger vehicles with nine or more seats need testing after one year, while "limited use" and agricultural vehicles are exempt from test altogether.

The list of items tested has been continually expanded over the years. Recently a sophisticated exhaust gases emissions test has been introduced for vehicles with internal combustion engines - the required standard varies depending on the age and type of the engine. Motorcycles and older vehicles are only required to pass visual emissions check.

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The test grades are:

Class I - Mopeds and Motorcycles up to 199 cc
Class II - Motorcycles 200 cc and over
Class III - Tricycles and three wheeled cars
Class IV - Cars, Motor Caravans, Goods vehicles up to 3000 kg gross weight, Minibuses (with no more than 12 passenger seats)
Class V - Private buses (with more than 12 passenger seats and up to 16)
PSV test (Class VI) - Vehicles used for Hire or Reward with more than 16 passenger seats)
Class VII - Goods vehicles (between 3000 kg and 3500 kg in gross weight)

The MOT is not an alternative to properly servicing and maintaining a vehicle and is by no means a 12 month guarantee of the vehicle's roadworthiness. The MOT test does not cover areas of a vehicle's mechanical condition that are not related to safety or emissions (important features such as the clutch, gear box or the entire engine are not tested). Neither does it determine whether or not after market features fitted are legal for use on the public highway, so a vehicle with a recent VT20 certificate could still have major mechanical defects or have features which would deem it illegal to be used on the road. Ultimately, it is the vehicle owner's responsibility to ensure it is kept in a roadworthy condition.

Some items that are tested for wear cannot be allocated specific limits to be examined to (e.g. whether a wiper adequately clears the screen or if the noise from an exhaust is too loud) without the addition of specialised and often expensive equipment. Also, any dismantling of any part of the vehicle during an MOT is strictly against test regulations so wear and tear on some items on certain models of vehicle might be difficult to properly ascertain (e.g. since wheels cannot be removed it might be difficult to determine the thickness of a brake pad). As the MOT is only a basic inspection for general roadworthiness the addition of such equipment would not be cost effective. In these instances the decision to pass or fail comes down to the discretion of the tester as he/she is classed as an expert in their field.

The present maximum fees that can be charged by any Test Centre, and which are relevant to the categories of vehicles tested by Just MOT's, are set as:

CLASS OF VEHICLE		FEE
Class 1 and 2	Motor Bikes	£29.20
	Motor Bikes with Side Car	£37.20
Class 4	Cars (up to 8 passenger seats), Motor Caravans, Dual Purpose Vehicles, Goods Vehicles up to 3,000 kg DGW. Three Wheeled Vehicles over 450 kg ULW. Quads (max. ULW 400 kg - but 550 kg for goods vehicles - and max. net power 15 kw)	£54.00
Class 4	Private Passenger Vehicles and Ambulances (9 - 12 passenger seats)	£56.45
Class 7	Goods Vehicles over 3,000 kg up to 3,500 kg	£57.70
Max fee for Duplicate Test Certificate		£10.00

Just MOT's will always give a discount on its Maximum Test Fee for each category of vehicle.

MOT TEST CENTRES

Many local car repair garages, as well as specialist testing organisations such as Just MOT's, are authorised to perform testing and to issue certificates. VOSA advises that there are some 18,500 MOT Test Centres in the UK of which some 3,000 are believed to be specialist MOT Test Centres.

JUST MOT'S - INDEPENDENT AND ON YOUR SIDE