Drivers warned on Mots
■ Drivers warned test fail overrules existing certificate ■ Risk of ban
Why taking test early could cost motorists £2,500
DRIVERS across the UK are being stung by the police after having a new MOT carried out before their existing certificate runs out.
A national comparison site has warned motorists of a loophole that may land them a £2,500 fine, a driving ban and three points. According to scrapcarcomparison.co.uk, thousands of drivers are being caught by the police nationwide after putting their vehicles through an early MOT to see if any faults need repairing before their certificate expires.
If the car fails the early test, some drivers believe they can still continue to drive until their old certificate runs out. However, any MOT failure is recorded as such in the national database that’s accessed by police with ANPR cameras.
Last year 36.8 per cent of cars failed their initial MOT, with over 2.4 million cars requiring fixes before passing.
According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), motorists can take their MOT up to a month before their current certificate expires, but any failure will supersede the old pass certificate. The only instance a driver is allowed on the road with a failed MOT certificate is if they’re on their way to have the vehicle repaired or to a pre-arranged MOT test.
However, scrapcarcomparison.co.uk says drivers are unaware of the consequences of an early MOT failure, adding: “A refused MOT will be recorded on the national database, alerting your vehicle to traffic police. We’ve had many a situation where a car has failed an early MOT and a customer has driven it knowing it is potentially dangerous to do so.”
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams told Auto Express: “It also invalidates their car insurance which could leave them facing a costly bill and even civil action if they are involved in an accident with a third party.”
Williams advised drivers to plan Mots carefully so any faults can be addressed immediately, adding: “Many garages offer a ‘pre-mot check’ which should highlight any potential faults that would be identified in an MOT. However, the onus is on the owner to have any issues addressed swiftly.”