Vehicle MOT Rules, Regulations & Changes for 2012

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun. 7, 2012 - An MOT certificate confirms that at the time of the test your vehicle met, as far as can be reasonably determined without dismantling, the minimum acceptable environmental and road safety standards required by law.

Although an MOT certificate does not mean that the vehicle is roadworthy for the life of the certificate and should not be a substitute for regular maintenance.  Current fees for maximum MOT fees are set by the Department for Transport and are £54.85 for a car, £29.65 for a solo motorcycle and £37.80 for a three-wheeler.

Records of MOT test results are held on a secure central database connected to all MOT testing stations.  The document you receive from the testing station is your receipt and shows the information that is held on the MOT database. It is not proof of an MOT and you should not rely on it as such i.e. when buying a used car.

Any recommended advisory work or potential problems not currently severe enough to result in a test failure are also shown on the certificate.   You can also check the MOT status of a vehicle online although you must be the owner, registered keeper or be considering buying the vehicle.

You will need to know the vehicle (http://www.compareinsurers.com/Car-Insurance.aspx) registration number and the MOT test number from the most recent 'certificate' or test refusal certificate. If you don't have these you can use the document reference number from the vehicle registration document (V5C).

The status check will confirm the date and mileage of the last test and the expiry date.  You can also check details of previous MOT tests going back to 2005, although records before 2005 were not computerised.

You don't need a valid MOT certificate (http://compareinsurers.com/Insurance-Tips/Car-Insurance-T...) if the vehicle is being taken by prior appointment to or from a test, although be warned the penalty of using a vehicle without an MOT is a maximum fine of £1,000 and if the vehicle is adapted to carry more than eight passengers the maximum fine increases to £2,500.  Failing to produce a test certificate to a police officer also carries a fine of up to £1,000.

The Department for Transport added a number of new mandatory test items to the annual MOT from 1 January 2012 to comply with a revised European testing directive to bring the minimum test requirements in line with those across Europe and make sure the test reflects the electrical/electronic complexity of modern car safety features.  Just like car insurance (http://www.compareinsurers.com/Home.aspx), an MOT certificate is a vital part of being a responsible car owner.