Will Your Car Pass its Next MoT?

The MoT test checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards.  An MoT is required when a car is three years old (four years in Northern Ireland) and then annually after that.

As we all know the MoT test fee itself is not the most worrying cost but rather the repairs required in order for your vehicle to pass the test.

Research by What Car? shows that nearly 4% of the 285,236 MoT test failures recorded between August 2012 and August 2013 were on cars having their first test and for items that could have been easily avoided.

According to their research the Top 5 reasons for MoT test failures include:

1 Screenwash not topped up
2 Car dirty or full of clutter
3 Reg plate anomaly (incorrect font/spacing, dirty, missing) - If you have a personalised plate, make sure it adheres to DVLA rules
4 Stickers on windscreen blocking driver’s view - Keep any windscreen furniture, including tax disc and parking permits, strictly outside the area of the wipers’ sweep
5 Warning light on dash - Warning lights have been part of the MoT test since 2012 and relate to anything from brakes to tyre pressures and airbag; if you see one, get it checked out

What Car? has launched a handy new online tool designed to help drivers boost their car’s chances of passing its first MoT test. It offers motorists advice on how to get their car through the test and ranks cars by make and model on their likelihood of passing first time. Find your vehicle here.

To find a local trustworthy garage to carry out your next MOT test, visit the Good Garage Scheme's website and enter your postcode or town name.

Don't suffer from Bank Holiday Blues

If you plan to drive this bank holiday weekend, the Good Garage Scheme recommends you carry out a few simple safety checks on your vehicle before setting off.

• Make sure you have enough fuel
• Check the oil
• Check your lights
• Check your coolant level 
• Check your windscreen wash and refill if necessary
• Make sure your windscreen is clean and clear
• Check your tyres

If you are in doubt about how to check any of the above, or if something seems worryingly low, simply contact your local Good Garage Scheme member garage and ask if they could check it for you.

As well as making all of the necessary checks, don't forget to download the free Good Garage Scheme app before you set off. If you have any motoring worries while you are travelling or visiting family and friends away from home, you can locate a reliable garage using the app no matter where you are.

Over 13,500 motorists have already downloaded the app and The Sunday Times listed it as one of the Top 500 Apps in their App List two years in a row.

Here are some of the comments received from those who have already downloaded the App:


"Can't believe it's free!"

"A genuinely useful app, simple to use and the kind of app that gets you out of a hole when you need it."

"Very helpful"

"It’s a great application I found especially when you are on the move and you don’t know where you can get your car fixed. It’s so easy to use. I don’t remember if I have found something as useful as this recently."

‘This is a very useful App especially when you’re on the road a lot, off on holiday around the UK or just on the move’