How to Report a Car With No MOT (Including Anonymously)

How to Report a Car With No MOT

There is no public service that lets you report a car purely for having no MOT, because MOT records are not enforced by public reporting in the way tax is. The practical route is that a car cannot be taxed without a valid MOT, so an untested car is very often untaxed too and can be reported as such.

Reporting an untaxed vehicle is done through the DVLA and can be completed online in a couple of minutes. It is anonymous, so you do not have to give your own details. If the car is not so much untaxed as simply dumped, the right route is your local council, who handle abandoned vehicles. Our overview on What Is an MOT explains why the MOT and tax are so closely tied together.

It is worth being clear about intent. These routes exist for genuine concerns about vehicles left on the road, not for settling scores with a neighbour. Used properly they help keep untested and untaxed cars off public roads.

Which Report to Make

The right way to report a car depends on what is actually wrong with it. The table below matches the common situations to the body that deals with them.

For most concerns about an untested car sitting on a public road, the DVLA untaxed vehicle report is the route that fits. If you want to confirm a car's status first, our guide on Is My Car MOT shows how anyone can check the MOT online.

How to Report an Untaxed Vehicle Anonymously

The DVLA online report for an untaxed vehicle is the main tool, since a car with no MOT usually cannot be taxed. The report is quick, free and anonymous. It needs only a few details about the car and where it is.

Because a car cannot be taxed without a valid MOT, reporting it as untaxed is the practical way to flag an untested car. Our guide on Consequences of No MOT explains the link between the two in full.

Reporting an Abandoned Vehicle

Sometimes a car is not just untaxed but genuinely abandoned, sitting unmoved for weeks and often damaged or missing parts. An abandoned vehicle is a matter for your local council rather than the DVLA. The council can investigate and, if the car is truly abandoned, arrange for it to be removed.

It is worth checking before you report, since a car that is simply parked and taxed is not abandoned even if it rarely moves. A quick online check of its tax and MOT status can save an unnecessary report. Our guide on Driving Without an MOT shows how to look up whether a car is currently legal.

Check the Facts First

A moment of checking before you report saves everyone time. Because the MOT and tax status of any car can be looked up free online with just the registration, you can confirm whether the car really is untaxed before making a report. A car that turns out to be taxed and tested is simply parked, not a problem to report.

It is also worth being sure of your reasons. These reporting routes exist to keep unsafe, untaxed and abandoned vehicles off the road, not to be used in a neighbour dispute. Used for genuine concerns they are a sensible civic tool. Used carelessly they waste the time of the very services that keep roads safe. Our guide on Is My Car MOT shows how to confirm a car's status in seconds.

Stay on the Right Side of the Rules

This guide is part of our full MOT Guides hub, where the testing, cost and rules articles sit together so you can move to the exact detail you need next. When it is time to book, our team offers full MOT testing and repairs from our centre in Ely. You may also find it useful to read Driving Without an MOT, Consequences of No MOT and Is My Car MOT.

Common Questions