MOT Extensions Ending On 1 August
If your MOT was due after March 31st then your DVLA 6-month MOT extension is ending on August 1st. Here's what you need to do now.
June 29, 2020
As announced earlier this year by the DVLA, a 6-month MOT extension was given to drivers who were due an MOT on or after 31st March 2020. But as lockdown is adjusted and more people are on the road, the Department for Transport announced that the 6-month MOT exemption for cars, vans and motorcycles will end on 1 August.
As many non-essential services start to re-open in line with government guidance, having an up-to-date MOT will help to keep vehicles safe to drive as they are now back on the roads.
If your MOT was due on or after 31st March 2020, then you need to pass your MOT before August 1st 2020. To beat the rush, we recommend you secure a slot as soon as possible as all cars which were given an extension will have to be inspected within the month of July.
Do you have more questions? Read all the FAQs below.
If your vehicle MOT was due to expire on or after 30 March 2020, you were granted a 6-month extension. However, this extension is now ending on August 1st. This means that:
- your vehicle will have a valid MOT certificate until August 1st
- you can still tax your vehicle as long as your MOT is valid before your tax expiry date
- your insurance will still be valid
- your vehicle’s record will be updated so the police can see you have a valid MOT
Note: You will not receive a new paper MOT certificate with your new expiry date and your vehicle must be safe to drive.
The rule is that you can drive your vehicle during this extended period, however the vehicle must be “roadworthy” and it is still your responsibility to ensure that this is the case. Now that lockdown has eased a little, many customers are choosing to check their vehicle’s roadworthiness by having the MOT test completed at your earliest convenience. Granted your vehicle is in roadworthy condition and is safe to drive, the earliest you’d need to renew your MOT is 6 months from your original due date. For example, if your MOT was due on 1st May 2020, the earliest you\'d need to renew your vehicle\'s MOT would be 1st August 2020.
However, you can choose to book your MOT sooner to avoid any risk of vehicle malfunction if you believe your vehicle may be faulty. You can do this by following the link below.
Yes. You can still book your vehicle in for an MOT appointment if you have been covered by the DVLA extension. The 6-month extension was introduced to cover a short period of time whilst the country was under strict lockdown and where drivers may not have been able to get to a local garage.
If you believe your vehicle is not road worthy or safe to drive, please do not ignore this. Component failures can be dangerous and can cause serious injury or fatality. Please don’t delay in getting your vehicle inspected at your earliest convenience.
Please remember, if you or a member of your household has experienced symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) within the last 14 days, you must stay at home and self-isolate. Do not take your vehicle for its MOT. It is only after you have experienced 14 days without any symptoms that you may resume visitation.
- your MOT has expired
- your vehicle tax is due to run out
- you cannot get your vehicle tested because you’re self-isolating
If you take your vehicle to be inspected before your new renewal date and its MOT fails, the MOT extension becomes void. If you were unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident this would also invalidate your insurance. It is illegal to drive a car that is not safe and your vehicle will need to be repaired and pass its MOT before you can drive it again.
You must not drive your vehicle on the road if the MOT or vehicle tax has run out. The only exceptions are if you are driving it:
- to or from somewhere to be repaired
- to a pre-arranged MOT test
Find out when your MOT expires by entering your vehicle\'s details into the gov.uk MOT Status Checker.
