MOT (test)

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Main article: Vehicle inspection

The Ministry of Transport test (more usually: MOT - pronounced by spelling out the letters) 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 name derives from the Ministry of Transport^[1], a defunct Government department which was one of several ancestors of the current Department for Transport, but is still officially used. 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. Certificates in Northern Ireland are issued by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency

Many local car repair garages throughout Great Britain are authorised to perform testing and to issue certificates. In Northern Ireland tests are performed at DVTA Test Centres.

1 History
2 Test classification
3 Rules and regulations for Great Britain
4 Fees
5 See also
6 External links
7 References

[edit] History

When originally instituted in 1960 by the then Ministry of Transport, 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 a visual emissions check.

[edit] Test classification

The test grades are:

Class I - Mopeds & 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)
HGV test - Applicable to most vehicles over 3500 kg in gross weight.

[edit] Rules and regulations for Great Britain

All test Stations are required to display a "VT9A Fees and Appeals" poster on their premises which must be available to the public. It gives information on all test types and information on what to do if a vehicle fails its MOT test.

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 MOT 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 MOT certificate. A vehicle could suffer major damage after an MOT has been carried out but the certificate would still be valid and obtaining a new one is not required under the test regulations (some insurance companies may ask for a new test but this is purely their own policy, not national law).

When a vehicle fails the MOT test it can be re-tested at the same station provided it is returned within a specific time period (regulations state the end of the next working day after the initial test for very minor faults, which are listed on the back of the VT30 failure notice and the VT9A). A free re-test may be offered by the station for marketing purposes.

On 11th of September 2006 the rules regarding re-tests changed. From that date if the vehicle remains at the test station for repair after failure then it can have a free re-test up to 10 working days after the original (this does not include weekends or bank holidays). If it is removed from the premeses for repair and then returned before the end of 10 working days it can have a test at half the original fee paid (rounded down to the nearest penny). After the 10 day period a full fee can be charged again. The next day free re-test for certain failure items is still in place although some items have been removed (such as headlamp aim).

The MOT is not an alternative to properly servicing and maintaining a vehicle and is by no means a 12 month guarantee of the vehicles roadworthiness. It is important to realise that 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 and 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 MOT certificate could still have major mechanical defects or have features which would deem it illegal to be used on the road.

[edit] Fees

In 2006 the fees were set as:

Class	Vehicle Type	Cost (2006)^[2]
I	Solo Motorcycles	£27.15
II	Solo Motorcycles	£27.15
II	Motorcycle Combinations	£34.65
III	Three wheeled vehicles	£34.65
IV	Cars & light vans	£50.35
IV	Minibuses	£52.60
IVa	Minibuses with additional seatbelts	£58.75
V	Non-PSV minibuses and buses (13-16 passenger seats)	£54.65
V	Non-PSV minibuses and buses (17 or more passenger seats)	£74.10
Va	Non-PSV minibuses and buses with additional seat belts (13-16 passenger seats)	£73.95
Va	Non-PSV minibuses and buses with additional seat belts (17 or more passenger seats)	£114.45
VII	Light goods vehicles	£53.80