MotorQuotesOnline.co.uk will give you access to approved MOT test centres across London, approved by the Government appointed Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA). Click here to register and arrange your cars MOT online or to have your cars next MOT test completed through one of MotorQuotesOnline.co.uk's many VOSA approved car garages, up to one month before the expiry of your cars current MOT.

Your car and the MOT

Once a car is three years old it will require an MOT. If you use your car as a taxi then there are different rules. When your car is tested, the MOT will test important items to confirm whether it meets the legal requirements. You should be aware that the MOT certificate isn’t a guarantee of the general mechanical condition of a vehicle.

MOT cost

The cost of an MOT should be no more than £53.10 for cars with up to 8 passenger seats.

The test

MOT's are undertaken in car garages authorised by the Vehicle Inspectorate to carry out the MOT test. They are identifiable by the blue 3 triangle MOT logo. Click here to register with MotorQuotesOnline.co.uk and get access to all our registered and VOSA approve MOT test centres.

Items examined in the MOT test include:

Lighting Equipment Reflectors, and Direction Indicators

Direction indicators and hazard warning devices , Front and rear position lamps, Headlamps , Headlamp aim , Rear registration plate lamps, Rear fog lamps, Rear reflectors, Stoplamps.

Steering (including suspension)

Front suspension, front wheel bearings and driveshafts, Power steering , Rear suspension and rear wheel bearings, Steering control, Steering system , Shock absorbers.

Brakes

Anti-lock braking system , Brake performance , Parking brake lever mechanism, Hand operated brake control valves, Hydraulic, air and vacuum systems , Mechanical brake components , Service brake control.

Tyres

Tyres

Seatbelts

Seatbelts

General Items

Audible warning (horn), Body security, Body condition , Exhaust system, Exhaust emissions -petrol & diesel , Fuel system Drivers view of the road, Doors , General condition of vehicle , Load security , Mirrors, Registration plates and VIN details , Spare wheel and carrier, Seats , Wipers, Washers, Windscreen, Vehicle structure.

When your car needs an MOT test

If a car is registered with no previous use on the road, the MOT will be required three years after the date of registration. For example, a vehicle registered ‘from new’ on 1 April 2005 will require its MOT no later than 1 April 2008.

If a vehicle is used before registration (as would be the case with an import) the MOT will be required three years from the end of the year of manufacture. For example a vehicle manufactured at any time in 2005 will require an MOT no later than 31 December 2008.

An MOT can be carried out at any time. If a car is tested within one month of the MOT’s due date, the test certificate will run from the date of the test until one year after the expiry date of the current certificate. For example, if the current certificate was due to expire on 1 April 2006, and the vehicle was presented on or after 2 March 2006, the certificate would run from the test date to 1 April 2007.

If the car is tested earlier than one month prior to its due date, the MOT will run for twelve months only.

What if your car fails its MOT?

If your car fails its MOT then once the repairs have been completed, it will need to be re-tested. The cost of the MOT re-test will depend on where you had your vehicle tested initially.

Car repairs carried out in a test centre?

The MOT re-test is free if the car repairs were carried out in a test centre and the car is re-tested within ten days of the failed MOT. It is also free if the car repairs are done elsewhere and the car is returned to the original MOT test centre by the end of the next working day. To qualify for this free re-test all the MOT failure points must be on the following list:

Bonnet, boot lid, brake pedal anti-slip, direction indicators, doors, dropsides, fuel filler cap, hazard warning, horn, lamps, loading door, mirrors, rear reflectors, registration plates, seatbelts (but not anchorages), seats, sharp edges or projections, steering wheel, tailboard, tailgate, vehicle identification number (VIN), windscreen and glass, windscreen wipers/washers, wheels and tyres.

Please note: A car may be taken away from the original MOT test centre for car repairs, however this does not apply if the problem is serious or dangerous; such as faulty brakes.

MOT Test at a local council centre?

If the car repairs are done elsewhere local council MOT test centres can only charge up to half the price of the normal fee; provided the car is brought back to the original MOT test centre for a partial retest within ten working days.

This applies to any MOT test centre, but is primarily relevant in the case of local test centres. One partial re-test is permitted per full test carried out.

In all other cases the MOT re-test will be charged at the full MOT test fee...

See also: Car garage services, Car body repairs, Exhausts, Windscreen Repair, Windscreen Replacing, Brakes, Car MOT Testing, Car MOT Test Centre, Car MOT failure, Car MOT Check, Car Valeting, Vehicle inspections, Car Painting & Spraying, Mobile Mechanics, Car Engine Tuning, Car Servicing, Battery Servicing, Tyres, Clutches, General car repairs.

The above text includes or can also be referred to as: mot, car mot, car mot test, car mot testing, car mot centre, car mot centres, mots, car mot check, car mot failure, car mot garage, car mot cost, car mot test centre, car mot test centres, cheap car mot, car mot price, car mot online, car mot centre, car mot centres, car mot tests, car mot center, car mot and service, car mot info.