Renew MOT or risk fines
In the last five years, millions of drivers have risked a £1,000 fine because they have forgotten to renew their MOT certificates, according to new research from AA Cars, the AA’s used car website.
In the first instance those driving without an MOT risk a £100 fixed penalty notice – and then £1000 if they are taken to court.
The AA-Populus poll, which surveyed over 21,000 drivers, found that two million Brits have been late renewing their MOT by up to a week, while more than a million forgot to renew it for up to a month.
It is not uncommon for a vehicle to be considered unroadworthy as according to the DVSA over a third of cars fail their initial MOT tests. On top of this our data shows that almost two million drivers have been alerted to a serious fault that they were unaware of before the test. Which means those who are forgetting to renew their MOT certificates could be driving a car with a serious fault – most likely considered a vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Irrespective of whether you’ve got a current MOT or forgotten briefly to renew the MOT, if your car’s in a dangerous condition then you are risking a £2,500 fine, three points on your licence and being banned from driving.
Simon Benson, director of motoring services at AA Cars, said, ‘For drivers across the country, MOT tests should be part and parcel of car ownership – or so we’d have thought. Despite the MOT test being an annual statutory obligation for cars over the age of three, it’s the sort of thing that can easily slip through the cracks.
‘It is crucial that drivers book their test in advance – they are not just a routine checkup, but a legal imperative to make sure your car is still fit to be on the road.’
