We took our car in for a routine MOT & now face £1,000 fine and licence points – it’s NOT our fault
A WOMAN who took her car in for a routine MOT now faces a £1,000 fine and licence points.
One unlucky motorist took to Martin Lewis‘ Money Saving Expert website to share her horror story.
The victim allegedly paid for an MOT which never happened so she had to redo it elsewhere.
She went to a garage for the MOT on her car and after a few months checked on the government website.
But she claims she noticed her MOT had expired, meaning the garage had never done the MOT.
The garage in question was then said to have been closed, so she arranged a new MOT elsewhere.
She says garage is now open again – and it still has an MOT sign.
How to report an MOT tester
YOU can report an MOT tester or centre to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) if you think they’re breaking the law.
This includes if they are:
- giving an MOT certificate to a vehicle they know should have failed
- giving an MOT certificate to a vehicle they have not tested
- taking bribes for MOT certificates
Report the MOT tester
Contact DVSA to report the MOT tester or centre. You can do this anonymously (not giving your name) or give your details.
You need to give as much information as possible about:
- who’s involved
- what the MOT tester or centre has been doing
- where it happened
- when it happened
- the vehicles involved, including the registration numbers (number plates) if you know them
What happens next
DVSA will review the information and decide what to do next.
This could include:
- investigating the report further
- asking you for more information if you did not make the report anonymously
- working with other government departments and agencies or the police
Depending on how serious the offence is the tester or centre could be:
- banned from carrying out MOTs
- fined
- given a prison sentence
A relative wrote on the MSE forum: “A relative sought my help because she got scammed but I’m unsure what to suggest. Basically she paid for an MOT which never happened so she had to redo it elsewhere.”
The MOT test checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards.
MOTs are carried out by 60,000 privately employed MOT testers carrying out tests in around 23,000 testing stations in Great Britain.
In 2021 to 2022 DVSA saw 1324 total counts of MOT Fraud.
In 2021 DVSA also banned a total of 127 Authorised Examiners from running Vehicle Testing Stations, and 288 from the MOT scheme.
This included bans for 85 Authorised Examiner and 185 Tester cases relating to the most serious offences including dishonesty, and gross negligence.
Is it illegal to drive with an MOT?
You can drive a car without an MOT to a garage, provided your MOT certificate does not show a dangerous defect.
Aside from an MOT test centre, it is illegal to drive your car elsewhere.
The MOT testers at National Tyres and Autocare garages do not have the authority to stop you from driving away after an MOT failure but if your MOT has a dangerous defect, it’s illegal to drive and, if caught, there are several penalties likely to be levelled against you.
If the police stop you and you don’t have a valid MOT, you can be given a £1,000 fine.
If the vehicle’s condition is dangerous, you can receive an unlimited fine if you’re driving a van or £2,500 if you’re driving a car.
That’s on top of three points on your licence, and if you were convicted of driving in a dangerous condition within the past three years, you can be disqualified from driving for at least six months.
According to the police, there are over 11,000 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras across the UK, which check over 50 million records every single day.
These cameras and police out on the road can automatically see whether your car has a valid MOT.
If it doesn’t, you will be pulled over or otherwise visited by the police.
Full MOT checklist
THIS is the one-stop checklist that will make sure you are prepared to pass your next MOT.
Tyres and wheels – Look out for damage to the sidewall of your tyres and make sure they’re sufficiently inflated.
Use the 20p coin test to make sure your tyres have the right tread depth, which should be 1.6mm all the way around across the central three-quarters of the tread pattern.
The outer edge of a 20p coin will be completely obscured if the tread is deep enough.
Also, be careful space-saver spare tyres could catch you out in the test, so replace them with standard tyres of the right type and size that fit properly before the test.
Lights – Check all of the car’s lights are working properly and are the right colour to pass an MOT test.
Have someone walk around the car and make sure they don’t flicker when tapped which could mean they need tightening or replacing.
This includes headlamps, parking lights, reversing lights, indicators, registration plate bulbs and, on more recent vehicles, daytime running lights.
Wipers and windscreen – Replace wipers that smear because they are probably worn out and top up the washer bottle.
Check your headlight washers if you have any.
Make sure there are no chips or cracks longer than 1cm on your windscreen and remove any stickers that could obstruct your view.
Number plates – Registration plates legally have to be in good condition, tightly fastened to the car and easily read from 20 metres away, so checking these is a must if you want to pass your MOT test.
Doors – Fix any broken doors or ones that don’t stay properly closed.
Front doors need to be openable from inside and out for safety reasons.
General condition – Make sure the exterior of your car is up to scratch.
Any sharp edges or pieces of metal sticking out could cause a danger to other road users and will definitely fail the MOT test.
Inside a car – Your dashboard will pop up with flashing warning lights if anything needs to be fixed under the bonnet like power-steering or brake-fluid warnings.
Make sure you have a fully functioning speedometer or you will fail the MOT test