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How to prepare your vehicle for an MOT

17th December 2020

An MOT, or Ministry of Transport test, is an annual safety check that ensures your vehicle meets the minimum road safety standards and if your vehicle is more than three years old, you must have an MOT to drive it.

Vehicles can often fail their MOT for minor faults such as tyre tread, vehicle lightbulbs being out, or chips in the windscreen; all of which could have been easily prevented with a few simple checks beforehand.

With that in mind, we wanted to share some handy tips on how you can prepare your vehicle ahead of its MOT.

A quick check under the bonnet can save you a failed MOT. It’s important to check the vehicle’s brake fluid and oil levels, refer to your vehicle manual if you are unsure. And while you are there, why not top up your washer fluid for your windscreen.
Before heading to your MOT, make sure you check your tyre pressure and tyre tread. You can read our guide to find out how to check your tyres correctly to ensure they are legally compliant.download (pdf( (Opens in new window)download (pdf(
It is important to check that all your lights around your vehicle are in working order. Also check for cracks or fog in the light casing, as this too can cause a vehicle to fail its MOT.
Hopefully you have no warning lights showing on your dashboard, but if you do it’s important to check them before you head to your MOT. Your vehicle handbook will have a list of warning lights to help you identify any that are displayed, some of which you may be able to rectify yourself, such as screenwash running low or low tyre pressure. For other issues, you may need to book your vehicle in for a check at a garage.

Check your windscreen for chips or marks - as long as a mark is not over the size of 10mm and isn’t obstructing the driver’s view or on the driver’s side of the windscreen, or if the mark is no larger than 40mm on the rest of the windscreen, then you should pass your MOT- but if you aren’t sure it’s always best to get it checked by a professional.

Also check that nothing else is blocking your view through the windscreen - for example an air freshener hanging from the rear-view mirror, or a sat nav holder.

Check that your windscreen wipers are in good working condition. If they are damaged, have tears in them or aren’t working, it will be marked as a fail.

In order to pass an MOT, your vehicle number plates must be readable. Make sure you give your number plates a good clean before your test.
To pass your MOT you must have all your vehicle mirrors in good working order. This means if they are cracked or damaged, impairing your view or exposing a damaged edge you will fail you MOT, so make sure they are repaired or replaced, if necessary.
The quickest and easiest check to do is testing your horn. Give it a quick beep to check it is working.
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