Who we are
About The MOT Files
Last updated
The MOT Files is a free UK MOT history checker and a reference library built from official Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency records. It is owned and operated by Omega IT, an IT company based in the Isle of Man. The site is written and edited by Andrew Pickett.
The official MOT check on GOV.UK tells you whether a vehicle passed. That is necessary, and it is free. This site exists for the next questions: what the tester actually wrote, what those words mean, how a model compares once age and mileage are allowed for, and what usually fails before you book the test.
How the numbers are made
Per-vehicle histories come from the DVSA MOT History API. You type a registration; we request the record, interpret the defects, and show the mileage pattern. We do not ask for an account or an email address.
Model-level pass rates, failure patterns, area rankings and the reliability study are derived from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset — tens of millions of class 4 tests, published under the Open Government Licence. Where two models are compared, the pass rate is standardised across age and mileage bands so a new car is not praised for being new. The method is written on each study page, with the limits next to it.
We add interpretation. We do not alter the underlying history. If the official record and our page ever disagree, the official record is right.
What this is not
It is not the DVSA, DVLA, or GOV.UK. It is not a paid vehicle history check: it does not report finance, write-off category, or stolen status. An MOT pass is not a warranty. We do not sell leads, and we do not hold keeper names or addresses.
Who writes it
Andrew Pickett writes the guides, the defect explanations and the studies. The programmatic model pages are generated from the same dataset, with the method documented on each page. If something is wrong, the contact address below reaches a person, not a form that disappears.