MOT due date and countdown
When is my MOT due?
Enter your registration for the exact expiry date and the number of days left.
Last updated
Quick answer
Your MOT is due on the expiry date shown on your current certificate, which is normally the anniversary of your last test. Enter your registration above to see the exact date and a countdown of the days remaining. You can renew up to one calendar month minus a day early without losing any time.
When your first MOT is due
In Great Britain, a new car needs its first MOT three years from the date it was first registered — not three years from when you bought it, and not from the start of the registration year. A car registered on 12 September 2023 needs its first test by 12 September 2026.
There are exceptions. Taxis, ambulances and vehicles with more than eight passenger seats need testing after one year. And a small number of vehicles are exempt entirely — see our guide to MOT exemptions.
The one-month-minus-a-day rule
This is the single most useful piece of MOT timing knowledge, and it costs people money every year.
If your MOT expires on 20 June, you can test it any time from 21 May onwards and the new certificate will still run to 20 June the following year. You keep your anniversary date and gain the safety margin of testing early.
Test it on 18 May instead — three days too early — and the new certificate expires on 17 May next year. You have permanently given away a month of MOT validity, and you will give away a little more every time you repeat the mistake.
| Current expiry | Earliest test to keep the date | New expiry |
|---|---|---|
| 20 June 2026 | 21 May 2026 | 20 June 2027 |
| 1 March 2026 | 2 February 2026 | 1 March 2027 |
| 31 December 2026 | 1 December 2026 | 31 December 2027 |
If it has already expired
Driving without a valid MOT carries a fine of up to £1,000. If the vehicle is in a dangerous condition that rises to £2,500, three penalty points and a possible driving ban. Enforcement is largely automatic: ANPR cameras check the MOT database in real time, so there is no practical chance of it going unnoticed.
The more serious problem is insurance. Most policies require the vehicle to be roadworthy and legally usable, and an expired MOT gives an insurer a straightforward reason to refuse a claim. The full picture is in our guide to driving without an MOT.
You may legally drive an untested vehicle to a pre-booked MOT appointment, or to a garage for pre-arranged repair work. Book it first — the exception depends on the appointment existing.
Getting a reminder
DVSA runs a free reminder service that texts or emails you a month before your MOT is due. It takes about a minute to set up on GOV.UK and removes the single most common cause of an accidentally expired certificate.
Before you book, it is worth looking at what the last test recorded. Advisories are a tester telling you in writing what will fail next time — check the full MOT history and deal with them before the test rather than after it.
Common questions
- When is my first MOT due?
- For most cars in Great Britain the first MOT is due three years after the date of first registration. Vehicles used as taxis or ambulances, and those with more than eight passenger seats, need their first test after one year.
- How early can I get my MOT without losing days?
- You can test up to one calendar month minus a day before the expiry date and keep the same anniversary. Test earlier than that and the new certificate runs twelve months from the test date, so you lose the difference permanently.
- What happens if my MOT runs out?
- The vehicle becomes illegal to drive on public roads, with two narrow exceptions: driving to a pre-booked MOT test, or to a pre-arranged repair. Your insurance is also likely to be invalidated, which is usually the more expensive consequence.
- Do I get a reminder when my MOT is due?
- DVSA offers a free reminder service that sends a text or email one month before your MOT is due. You sign up on GOV.UK using your registration number. Reminders are not automatic, so you have to opt in.
- Does the MOT expiry date change if I test early?
- Only if you test more than a month before expiry. Within the one-month-minus-a-day window the expiry date rolls forward by a year from your existing date. Outside it, the clock resets to twelve months from the day of the test.