What Do They Check on an MOT Test?
An MOT tester works through a fixed list of safety and emissions items on your car. This guide walks through exactly what is inspected, what counts as a fail and what the test leaves out.
What Do They Check on an MOT Test?
An MOT test checks the parts of your vehicle that affect safety, roadworthiness and the environment. A qualified tester follows a set inspection laid down by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, so the same items are examined at every approved garage in the country.
The test usually takes around 45 minutes to an hour for a standard car. Nothing is dismantled during the inspection, so the tester assesses each item by sight, by sound and with dedicated equipment such as brake rollers and a headlight beam setter. If you are new to the process, it helps to first read our overview on What Is an MOT so the individual checks below make sense in context.
Every item is graded as it is checked. A fault is recorded as minor, major or dangerous. A minor fault still passes but is noted for your attention, while a major or dangerous fault means the vehicle fails and must be repaired before it is legal to drive again. Knowing which group each part falls into helps you understand your results sheet when the test is done.
The list is deliberately consistent so that a test in Ely covers exactly the same points as a test anywhere else in the country. What changes from garage to garage is the price and the service around the test, not the standard itself. That standard is set nationally and updated from time to time to reflect newer vehicle technology such as tyre pressure monitoring and daytime running lights.
Every Area a Tester Inspects
The checks below cover the main groups a tester works through. Each group contains several individual items, so a single area such as lights includes headlights, indicators, brake lights and number plate lamps.
| Area Inspected | What the Tester Looks At | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and signals | Headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog and hazard lights, number plate lamps | Yes |
| Brakes | Condition, efficiency, balance and the ABS warning light | Yes |
| Tyres and wheels | Tread depth of at least 1.6mm, condition, correct size and secure fitting | Yes |
| Steering | Wheel play, column security, track rod ends and power steering | Yes |
| Suspension | Shock absorbers, springs, bushes, ball joints and wheel bearings | Yes |
| Visibility | Windscreen damage, wipers, washers and mirrors | Yes |
| Seatbelts | Webbing, buckles, retraction and the airbag warning light | Yes |
| Exhaust and emissions | System security and tailpipe emissions within legal limits | Yes |
| Body and structure | Corrosion in load bearing areas, sharp edges, doors and seats | Yes |
| Number plates and VIN | Legibility, correct format and a matching vehicle identity | Yes |
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Book Your MOTThe Checks That Matter Most
Some checks account for far more failures than others. Lighting faults are the single most common reason a car fails, often something as simple as a blown bulb. Brakes, tyres and suspension follow close behind because these wear steadily with everyday use.
Brakes
The tester measures how efficiently your brakes slow the car on a rolling road and checks the balance between wheels. Worn pads, corroded discs or a leaking hose can all cause a fail. See our guide on Brakes and the MOT for more detail.
Tyres
Tread must be at least 1.6mm across the central three quarters of the tyre around its whole circumference. Cuts, bulges and mixed sizes are also failures, as covered in Tyres and the MOT.
Simple Checks to Do Before Your Test
A little preparation can turn a likely fail into a comfortable pass. Because so many failures are small items, five minutes in your driveway the day before can make a real difference. Walk around the car and watch each light as a helper operates it, top up the screen wash then clear any clutter from around the number plates so they are clearly readable.
Check your tyres for obvious cuts or bulges and make sure none are visibly below the tread limit. Listen for a working horn, test that your seatbelts latch and retract cleanly then replace any wiper blade that smears rather than clears. None of these jobs are expensive, yet together they cover a large share of the faults that catch cars out on the day.
What an MOT Does Not Check
It is just as important to know what the test leaves out. An MOT does not assess the general mechanical condition of the engine, the clutch or the gearbox. It does not check the spare wheel, the air conditioning or interior features such as the radio and electric windows.
Because the test only measures whether your car met the legal standard on the day, a pass is not a promise that the car will stay fault free. That is why a service alongside your MOT is a sensible way to keep the vehicle reliable as well as legal. If your car does fail, our guide on Top Reasons Cars Fail MOT explains your options.
How the Outcome Is Recorded
When the inspection is finished you are given a result rather than a verbal opinion. A pass produces an MOT certificate, known as a VT20, which shows the test date and the expiry date. The result is also logged on the national MOT database, so you can check it online at any time without needing the paper copy.
A pass can still carry advisory notes. These are items that are wearing but not yet bad enough to fail, such as a tyre approaching the legal limit or the early signs of corrosion. Advisories are a helpful early warning, so acting on them promptly can save a failure at your next test. Our guide on MOT Advisories Explained explains how to read and prioritise them.
If the vehicle fails you receive a refusal certificate, a VT30, listing the faults by category. A dangerous fault means the car should not be driven until it is repaired, while a major fail must still be put right before the car is legal even though it is not flagged as immediately dangerous.
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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 What Is an MOT, Top Reasons Cars Fail MOT and Brakes and the MOT.
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