Do your checks

I was made aware recently of something that might catch you out.

It’s to do with the MOT exemption that we had earlier in the year in England, Scotland and Wales. You may remember the government announced that from March 31, 2020 all cars that were due an MOT could, if appropriate, delay the MOT Test by six months. Then in June it was announced that the sixmonth extension was to be shorten to four months. That meant any vehicle due an MOT Test after August 1, 2020 would return to its mandatory annual inspection from that date.

Those vehicles that are running around on the six-month extension will have MOT expiry dates from now to the end of January 2021. That’s fine as long as the vehicle is kept in a roadworthy condition during the extension – but in early August I bought a black 2001 MINI R50 from British Car Auctions, with a listed MOT date of January 17, 2021. Checking online and via a smartphone app, I could see that this was correct. However – and this is the crux of the matter – this actual MINI had visited a testing station on

July 10 – and failed – on four Major points! It also had five advisory notices. Had I not looked at the MOT history of this car I would never had known.

There seems to be an obvious flaw in the MOT computerised system, which should really have flagged this MINI as having no current MOT – though, being tested within the extension period and failing, hasn’t updated correctly.

If you’re intending on purchasing a used vehicle in the not-too-distant future, I strongly advise checking its MOT history before parting with any cash...

This particular MINI was transported from the auction, so hasn’t covered any miles since purchase. It will soon appear in another Kelsey publication

– I’ll update you on its appearance and repair progress in due course.