It often feels like time is flying by. My diary is filled with reminders of annual events and whether it’s my child’s birthday or home insurance renewals it is often hard to believe that a whole year has passed since last time. While I’m not likely to forget the approach of Christmas or Birthdays some of the “life admin” tasks are easier to forget, but doing so can have a big impact. The family car MOT is one of those things that tends to creep up on me, but it is really important to get done.

Photo by William Daigneault on Unsplash

Why you need to remember the MOT test for your family car

1.Whether it’s for school runs, supermarket trips or days out our car is an essential part of family life. While we could manage without one if we really had to it would make life much more challenging. The car offers us convenience and much needed time to do other things. I don’t even want to think how I would persuade the girls to walk to school on a cold wet, rainy morning. So our car has to keep going and it needs to be safe for my family. The MOT test covers the essential safety aspects to make sure I can drive safely which is so important for me as a parent. In a busy city like London it’s also really important for other road users and pedestrians that your car is safe and you can book MOT in London now from DAT Tyres.

2.Vehicles over 3 years old are required to have a valid MOT test certificate to ensure they meet the minimum safety standards. If you drive a car which doesn’t have one you are breaking the law and can receive a £1000 fine. That’s something few families can afford.

3.If you don’t have a valid MOT test certificate you can’t renew your car tax. Having an untaxed car unless declared with a SORN can lead to a fine of up to £1000 even if you don’t drive it.

4.If your car doesn’t have a valid MOT certificate it may make your car insurance invalid. If you are caught driving without valid insurance you can get a £300 fixed penalty notice and 6 points on your license. That is in addition to not having the insurance so you could end up seriously out of pocket if your car is involved in any sort of accident. 

5.You can take your car for an MOT test on any day up to the last day the previous one is valid, but the later you leave it the more important it is that your car passes to ensure you aren’t left without a car. Before your previous test certificate runs out you can still drive a car that has failed a test as long as you haven’t been told it is dangerous. This can give you time to book in for more major work. If you have left it until the last minute you will not be able to take your car anywhere until the car has passed the MOT test.

To help ensure your car passes it’s test with minimal cost it’s worth running through some basic checks like lights and tyre treads in advance as well as keeping on top of general maintenance through out the year including basic things like checking your oil level. Ideally having your car MOT test is a good time to get the car serviced too so they can check all these for you and more. While the MOT will make sure your car is safe to drive the service will help ensure your car runs more efficiently and to identify any problems early on. If money is currently tight though your car’s MOT is one thing you definitely have to prioritise if you still want to use your car.

***This is a collaborative post***