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MOT Due Date Checker

Work out exactly when a car's MOT is due, and the earliest you can test it without losing your renewal date. In Great Britain a car's first MOT is due on its third birthday, then every year after; in Northern Ireland the first test is at four years old.

When is an MOT due? In Great Britain a car's first MOT is due by the third anniversary of its first registration, and then every year before the current certificate runs out. You can get it done up to a month (minus a day) early and keep the same renewal date; any earlier and the new certificate runs a year (minus a day) from the test date, so you lose the days left on the old one. Northern Ireland has different rules, with the first test at four years old: use the Northern Ireland MOT checker.

Want a specific car's real MOT history? Check by reg

Where is it tested?

On the V5C logbook. The first MOT falls on the third anniversary of this date.

The one-month rule worth knowing

You can take the test up to a month minus a day before it expires and keep the same renewal date. Test it any earlier than that and your new expiry runs a year minus a day from the test date instead — quietly costing you weeks of cover every time you do it.

If your MOT runs out on 15 May, the earliest you can test while keeping that date is 16 April. Test on 10 April instead and the new certificate runs out on 9 April the following year — 36 days earlier than the 15 May you would have kept.

It is a calendar month, not a fixed number of days — a month before 31 March is 28 February, so the earliest test is 1 March.

What it costs, and what it costs not to

Maximum MOT fee (car)

£54.85

A legal cap set by the DVSA. Plenty of garages charge less — it is worth ringing round.

Fine for no valid MOT

up to £1,000

Great Britain (GOV.UK). The only exceptions are driving to a pre-arranged test, or to or from somewhere to be repaired.

A vehicle built or first registered more than 40 years ago does not need an MOT, provided it has had no substantial changes in the last 30 years. There is nothing to apply for: the owner declares it on form V112 when taxing the vehicle. Applying is the other rule — the tax exemption — which is a separate DVLA matter.

Northern Ireland: vehicle testing there is run by the DVA, not the DVSA, through its own network of test centres, with its own fees and its own online booking, and the first test is at four years old. Choose Northern Ireland above and both tabs work to its rules: the one-month keep-the-date rule shown for Great Britain is not applied there, because nidirect states no such rule, and a test taken in Northern Ireland gives a new 12-month certificate from the test date. The 40-year exemption above is not GB-only — Northern Ireland adopted the same rule on 12 October 2020. Check nidirect if the car is NI-registered.

Check a real car's MOT history

The DVSA publishes the MOT record — pass, fail, mileage at each test and every advisory. It is free, and it is the single best thing you can do before buying a used car. Recorded mileage that goes down between tests is a question for the seller before anything else — see what to do if the mileage looks wrong. It does not go back for ever, though: for cars, motorcycles and vans the results start in 2005, and tests done in Northern Ireland only from 2017. On an older car an empty early record proves nothing.

Check MOT history on GOV.UK

You will need the registration number.

While you are at it

Check a registration, freeWork out the road taxCheck ULEZ complianceSearch used cars on Autoza

For guidance only. Dates are calculated from the information you enter — always confirm a vehicle's actual MOT status on the official GOV.UK service before driving or buying. Rules and fees verified against GOV.UK on 28 July 2026; Northern Ireland fees and booking against nidirect, and Temporary Exemption Certificates against nidirect and the Department for Infrastructure’s written statements of 6 March 2025 and 12 March 2026, on 6 October 2026.

Example · Enter a date

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Example using default figures. Change any figure for your own estimate.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is a car first MOT due in the UK?
In Great Britain, on the third anniversary of the date it was first registered, and every year after that — the government consulted on moving the first test to four years and decided in 2018 to keep it at three. In Northern Ireland, where testing is run by the DVA rather than DVSA, the first test is not due until the car is four years old.
How early can I get an MOT without losing my renewal date?
In Great Britain, up to one month minus a day before it expires. If your MOT runs out on 15 May, the earliest you can test while keeping that date is 16 April. Test any earlier and your next expiry becomes one year minus a day from the test date, so you lose the difference permanently. The tool does not apply this rule to Northern Ireland, because nidirect states no such rule.
How much does an MOT cost in the UK?
In Great Britain the DVSA sets a maximum fee of £54.85 for a class 4 car. It is a cap rather than a set price, so many garages charge less and it is worth ringing round. In Northern Ireland the DVA charges a set £38.00 for a full car test and £29.50 for a retest at its own test centres, so there is no cheaper garage to find. You can book a Northern Ireland test online with nidirect.
What happens if I drive without a valid MOT?
In Great Britain you can be fined up to £1,000, and it can invalidate your insurance. GOV.UK’s only exceptions are driving it to a pre-arranged MOT test, or to or from somewhere to be repaired. In Northern Ireland it is also generally an offence to use a vehicle of test age without a current test certificate, with the same kind of exceptions, and your insurance may not be valid; nidirect gives no maximum fine, so none is quoted here.
Which cars are exempt from the MOT?
A vehicle built or first registered more than 40 years ago does not need an MOT, as long as it has had no substantial changes in the last 30 years. There is nothing to apply for and no decision to wait for: the owner declares it on form V112 (V112G for large vehicles) when taxing the vehicle. The exemption is UK-wide: Northern Ireland adopted the same rule, on the same terms and the same form V112, on 12 October 2020. The historic vehicle tax exemption is a different rule and that one does have to be applied for. Cars under three years old have not yet reached their first test — four years old in Northern Ireland.
Does my Northern Ireland car need an MOT, or does it have a Temporary Exemption Certificate?
A private car first registered between 1 June 2019 and 31 May 2020 or between 1 June 2021 and 31 May 2022 with a valid Northern Ireland MOT is given a Temporary Exemption Certificate (TEC) automatically: no MOT test for 12 months from the date its current certificate expires. You do not need to do anything and you do not receive a paper or digital copy, so check the new expiry date on the Vehicle Enquiry Service, which can take longer to update. A car does not get one if it was not first registered in those dates, if it was registered in them but its MOT has expired, or if its MOT was last done outside Northern Ireland: it still needs a test, and you should book one online with the DVA (£38.00 for a full car test). A Temporary Exemption Certificate covers private cars only. The Department for Infrastructure sets the dates one year at a time: its statement of 6 March 2025 covered cars first registered between 1 June 2018 and 31 May 2019 or between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2021, and its statement of 12 March 2026 gave the dates above, from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027. A certificate given under an earlier round runs 12 months from the date the car’s certificate expired, so a car in the earlier dates whose certificate expired in the last 12 months may still have one: check its expiry date on the Vehicle Enquiry Service before treating it as overdue. The tool’s Renewal tab takes the certificate’s expiry date and works this out when you choose Northern Ireland.

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