What an MOT checks

An MOT is a check that a vehicle meets the road safety and environmental standards set for its test class on the day of the test. It is not a service, and it is not a survey of how long the engine or gearbox will last.

GOV.UK's getting an MOT is the official description of when a vehicle needs a test and how booking works. This page is a reading guide for the history you see on MOT Check History.

What the tester is looking at

The DVSA inspection manual groups the test into areas. Not every line applies to every vehicle. A motorcycle is not inspected like a van, and a heavy vehicle has extra items. In everyday terms, a car test covers:

• Identity: the registration plates and, where it has to be read, the vehicle identification number
• Brakes, including how evenly they work and the condition of discs, pads, drums and pipes that the tester can see
• Steering, including play in the wheel and the condition of the linkage
• The view out: windscreen, wipers, washers, mirrors, and anything blocking the driver's view
• Lamps, reflectors and the electrical equipment that feeds them, including headlamp aim
• Wheels, tyres and suspension. For most cars the tread minimum used in the test is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre. Motorcycles and some other vehicles use a different minimum
• Body and structure: corrosion in prescribed areas, sharp edges, doors, seats, seat belts and the fuel system
• Other equipment such as the horn and, on some classes, the speedometer
• Noise, the exhaust, and exhaust emissions

What a pass does not mean

A pass means the items that were tested met the standard that day. It does not measure clutch wear, timing-chain rattle, or whether the car will start tomorrow. It does not check service history, outstanding finance, or whether the mileage has been altered. Those are separate questions. The mileage page explains what the odometer figures can and cannot show.

Advisories and minor items can sit on a pass. They are not a fail, and they are not a clean bill of health. Read them before you buy, and again before a long trip. The advisories guide goes through each category.

Where the wording comes from

Failure and advisory text is written by the tester against the DVSA manual, sometimes with a short note they typed. Older tests, and tests from Northern Ireland, may not use the same labels or may leave the defect list empty in the API. If a phrase is unclear, the manual is public, and a garage can show you the part on the vehicle.

MOT Check History only displays the text DVSA returns. It does not re-test the vehicle.