An MOT history is a free health record for almost every car over three years old. Each test since 2005 records the result, the date, the mileage and what the tester found. Read properly, it tells you how a car has been looked after and what it is likely to need next. Our free check shows every test since 2005, so you can read the history before you even contact the seller.
The basics of the MOT
- Cars need their first MOT three years after first registration, then one every year.
- You can take the test up to a month (minus a day) early and keep the same renewal date.
- Vehicles over 40 years old that have not been substantially changed can be exempt.
- An MOT checks the car met the minimum standards on the day of the test. It does not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox, and it does not mean the car will stay roadworthy.
What each result means
Since May 2018, testers sort defects into categories.
| Result | What it means | Pass or fail? |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous | A direct and immediate risk to road safety, or a serious impact on the environment. The car should not be driven until it is repaired. | Fail |
| Major | It could affect the car's safety, put other road users at risk or harm the environment. It must be repaired. | Fail |
| Minor | No significant effect on safety or the environment, but it should be repaired soon. | Pass |
| Advisory | Something to keep an eye on, which may need attention in future. | Pass |
Older tests, from before May 2018, list failures as fail items and still show advisories. You may also see PRS, which means a fault was found and put right at the test centre, so the car passed after the repair.
How to read a whole history
One test is a snapshot. The value is in the pattern across several years. Our free MOT history check lays every test out in order. Here is what to look for.
Repeat problems
The same problem appearing year after year suggests it was patched rather than fixed, or ignored. We group defects into categories, such as tyres, brakes, suspension and corrosion, and put any category that appears on two or more separate test days in the last three years on a watch list. A problem has to come back on a different day to count, so one bad test does not trigger it on its own.
Advisories that turn into failures
An advisory for corrosion one year and a failure for the same corrosion the next tells you the owner waited until they had to act. That is common and not a disaster, but it says something about how the car has been kept.
Dangerous defects
Any dangerous defect deserves a question: what was it, and was it repaired properly? Dangerous defects in the last three years cost 8 points on the Vettly Score.
Failures and retests
A fail followed by a pass a few days later is normal: the car was repaired and retested. Many fails across many years, or a car that fails more often than it passes, suggests a car that has been run on a tight budget.
The mileage
Each test records the mileage, which should always go up. A drop is worth investigating. See how to spot a clocked car.
Gaps
A missing year might mean the car was off the road with a SORN, being repaired or in storage. Ask why. A car that was driven without a valid MOT is a different story.
Reading the dates
Check when each test happened. A car that is tested on time every year, a few weeks before the old certificate runs out, has usually had an organised owner. A test that happens months after the previous certificate expired suggests the car was off the road, or was driven without a valid MOT.
Where an MOT history can mislead
- A clean recent pass does not mean old problems were fixed properly. Look back further than the last test.
- A fail can look worse than it was. A blown bulb fails a car, and it is cheap to fix.
- Advisories depend on the tester. Two testers may describe the same wear differently, so look for patterns rather than single entries.
- An MOT does not cover the engine, clutch or gearbox, so a clean history says nothing about them.
Common advisories and what to do
| Advisory | What to do |
|---|---|
| Tyre worn close to the legal limit | Budget for new tyres soon, and check the tread at the viewing. |
| Brake pads or discs worn | Ask if they have been replaced. If not, factor the cost into your offer. |
| Corrosion, not excessive | Look underneath. Corrosion on structural parts gets worse and can become a fail. |
| Oil leak | Find out where it is coming from. Some leaks are minor, others are expensive. |
| Suspension part worn | Listen for knocks on the test drive, and ask a garage for a quote. |
| Windscreen chip or crack | Check its size and position. Damage in the driver's line of sight can become a fail. |
| Exhaust or emissions problem | Ask whether it has been looked at. Emissions faults can be expensive to put right. |
Questions to ask the seller
- Were the advisories from the last MOT fixed? Can I see the invoices?
- What was the dangerous defect in that test, and who repaired it?
- Why is there a gap in the MOT history?
- Why does the same problem keep coming back?
Check it before you travel
The MOT history is free and needs only the registration. Run it from the home page, or scan the plate with your phone using our plate scanner.
Once you own the car, set up free MOT reminders so you never miss a test.