Ultimate Guide to Passing Your MOT

Business Insights
10/11/2021

Your annual MOT can be a blot on the otherwise serene horizon of your life, bringing with it worry about your car being safe, on the road and all this without costing you a fortune! But did you know that you can actually take steps to ensure that your car will sail through its MOT without any issues – and you can do most of this without paying anyone a penny!


What is the MOT?

The MOT test comes from the 1960s and it is named for the old Ministry of Transport which introduced it. The government department in question is now named the Ministry for Transport, and it encompasses a number of licensing and inspection agencies, one of which oversees the MOT tests. It is a comprehensive checklist of around thirty items – the very first test had only three: steering, lights and brakes! – that collectively ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy.


What Does Roadworthy Mean?

For a vehicle to be classed as roadworthy, it must be easily visible by other road-users; the driver must be able to clearly see all around the vehicle; pieces of the vehicle should not readily detach and cause road obstruction; and should the engine fail for any reason, the driver should be able to signal his or her intentions and guide the vehicle safely to the side of the road so as not to impact on the flow of traffic. Once you understand this, you will be better able to assess the condition of your car's structure and the clarity of its windows to ensure that the inspector smiles and nods when they see your vehicle, rather than frowns and makes a note on their clipboard!


What Can I Do to Boost the Chances of a Pass?

The simplest thing to do is to maintain your vehicle in a safe and clean condition all the time anyway! All your windows should be clean and clear, with no cracks, chips or bird-poop blocking your view, even of the narrowest slice of road – cyclists and motorcyclists are surprisingly small when they are a few seconds away from impact with your car… Fluids should be topped up and appropriate for their purpose, and your mirrors, lights, bumpers/ fenders and numberplate should all be properly fitted and tightly fixed. Seatbelts should be fitted, in good condition, and used every time you drive. Your steering should have strictly limited play (less than 7.8mm on a standard steering wheel, much less for rack and pinion systems), and your brakes should be immediately responsive when deployed. Your lights should all work well, letting other road users know that you are there, that you are turning or stopping, and that you are polite enough not to dazzle them!


If you can, download a copy of the official MOT test from the internet, read through it, and make sure that your car is up to scratch before you book your test in good time. Ensure your car is legal to drive on the roads. Get it tested now from Elite Direct MOT Garage in London.