Everything You Need To Know About MOT Test

It is an established standard in the UK that if your car is older than three years, it needs to undergo an emission and performance test conducted by the Ministry Of Transport. The principal objective of the test is to check whether your vehicle meets the road safety standards. Accordingly, a pass certificate is awarded, which is mandatory for legal driving in the UK. There are multiple parameters, and accordingly, pointers are awarded in the range of extreme, moderate and mild. 

Routine vehicle assessment and maintenance will make your job easy during the test. Just pay close attention to your vehicle’s needs and requirements and keep yourself updated with the road safety circulars. Read about the different standards and permissible limits and calibrate your car accordingly. Reports suggest that 26% of the people fail to clear this test in one go. Therefore, keep yourself prepared before appearing for this test, and you will be good to go. Here is an article on everything you need to know about the MOT test.

Relevance of MOT

The Ministry Of Transport conducts this test to check the vehicle’s eligibility for the UK roads. The pollution level and the safety standards are the primary standards. This test is mandatory for vehicles older than three years. And, the pass certificate awarded is valid for one year, which makes this an annual test.

You must have a valid pass certificate with you if you don’t want to earn negative points on your license. These points will add up and give you a hard time during license renewal. Additionally, your insurance won’t work without a pass certificate. You can get a one-month extension on your current certificate for the flexible scheduling of the next MOT test appointment. 

Duration

In a normal course of business, the MOT Derby test lasts for almost an hour. Although, if the vehicle has some issues that need immediate attention, the test may last longer. It is a general practice to resolve the bugs and grave issues before driving away. If the examiner spots some problems, he will fail your car and send it for fixing. Once the car comes back from repair, it will go through a retest. 

Since it is illegal to drive with a fail certificate, people don’t drive away without resolving them. Even if you succeed in the test, you may be given some pointers on minor issues requiring attention. Do not overlook those advisory notes.

Will You Pass the Test?

This test is not rocket science, so don’t stress over it. Just keep your regular maintenance and checks up to date, and you will pass this test easily. Additionally, do not let minor issues like screen wash, seat adjustments etc., stop you. When you visit a garage for routine service and repairs, ask them to run a mock MOT trial on your vehicle to monitor the minor issues. Around 45-50% of people taking the test fail to get through easily fixable issues.

Some general tips before appearing for the test

If you perform routine checks and maintenance on your vehicle, this test will be a piece of cake for you. Discussed below are some of the pointers:

• Tyre Pressure: Keep the tyre pressure at the recommended level. The pressure recommendation is mentioned near the driver’s door and in the owner’s manual.

• Windscreen Check: Windscreen is crucial for road visibility, so it must be clear of any permanent spots and cracks. If there is a crack wider than 1 cm, replace the windscreen.

• Lamps and Indicators: Lamps and indicators must be free of any flickers. Also, they must be responsive to the controls, and all of them should function optimally on recommended brightness. If any of the bulbs seem fused, replace them before appearing for the test.

• Tread Depth: The tyre’s tread depth must be at a minimum of 1.6 mm. Conduct the penny test to ensure treads’ proper condition.