Vehicle checks

Free MOT due date check

Enter your registration to see the date your MOT runs out, read from the DVSA record. You get the car’s full MOT history with it.

When is my MOT due?

Your MOT is due by the expiry date on your last MOT certificate, which is also on the DVSA record. A new car’s first MOT falls due three years after it was first registered, then every year. You can renew up to a month minus a day early and keep the same date.

How the MOT due date is set

A car that has never been tested has until the third anniversary of its registration.
After that the MOT is due every year, by the expiry date on the current certificate.
Test up to a month minus a day before that date and the new certificate runs a full year from the old expiry date. If the MOT runs out on 15 May, the earliest test that keeps the date is 16 April.
Test earlier than that and the year starts from the day of the test, so your due date comes round sooner.

These are the rules for England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own.

GOV.UK: Getting an MOT

What happens when the MOT runs out

There are no extra days. Once the MOT has run out you can’t drive the car or park it on the road. The only exceptions are driving it to a test you have already arranged and to or from somewhere it is being repaired.

You can be prosecuted if you’re caught. Vehicle tax depends on it too: most cars can’t be taxed without a current MOT.

Check a car’s tax status

How to make sure you never miss it

Check the date here. It is on your last MOT certificate too.
Sign up for the free GOV.UK reminder. It sends a text or an email a month before the MOT is due.
Book the test inside the month before the expiry date. You keep your renewal date and you have time to put a failure right.
After the test, run the check again to see the new expiry date on the record.

GOV.UK: Get MOT reminders

Buying a car? Read the MOT date first

A car advertised with a long MOT passed its test recently. One with only a few weeks to run means you pay for the next test almost at once. The free check shows the date along with the advisories from the last test, which are the best guide to what the next one will find.

Read the full MOT history

FAQ

Questions people ask

How early can I get an MOT?

Up to a month minus a day before the current MOT runs out, if you want to keep the same renewal date. You can test earlier than that, but the new MOT then runs for a year from the day of the test.

Can I drive with an expired MOT?

Only to an MOT test you have already arranged. You can also drive it to and from a place where it is being repaired. Otherwise you can’t drive it or park it on the road.

Is there a grace period after an MOT expires?

No. The MOT ends on the expiry date and there are no extra days of cover.

When does a new car need its first MOT?

Three years after it was first registered, in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own testing rules.

Will you remind me when my MOT is due?

No. We show you the date. For a reminder by text or email, use the free MOT reminder service on GOV.UK.

Guides

MOT advisoriesWhat an advisory on an MOT means and how to read the advisories on a car you might buy.Buying a car What to check when buying a used carA checklist in the order you’d use it: before you travel, at the viewing, before you pay.Buying a car

MOT checkMOT status and expiry, then every test since 2005 with failures, advisories and mileage.Free Car tax checkTaxed, untaxed or SORN, with the date the tax runs out.Free Reg checkLook up any number plate: make, model, colour, engine and status.Free

Free car check

Check it before you go and see it

DVLA details, tax and MOT status, mileage and the full MOT history, free for any UK registration.