<p style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #67768e; font-family: Inter, sans-serif;">When buying a used car in the UK, checking its MOT history should be one of your first steps. This check is free and doesn&rsquo;t require any personal details. It can reveal problems that aren&rsquo;t obvious from photos or a quick test drive. There is a practical guide to check the MOT history before buying your vehicle. In the UK, the official place to check car MOT history is the government website:

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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Go to the official site for </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">MOT history</span> <span style="box-sizing: inherit;">. Enter the vehicle&rsquo;s registration (number plate).</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Confirm the vehicle details (make, colour, year).</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">View:</span>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">MOT pass/fail results</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Dates and mileages at each test</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Advisory and failure notes</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Outstanding safety recalls (via the linked check)
</span></span>
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">An MOT history check NI shows how the car has been cared for over time, not just whether it&rsquo;s currently legal to drive. Use it alongside a physical inspection, service history, and an HPI/finance check. It can reveal:</span>

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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Consistent or neglected maintenance</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Hidden accident or structural damage</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Possible clocking (mileage tampering)</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Ongoing mechanical issues that will cost you money soon
</span></span>
<h3 style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 1.33333rem; margin: 1.5em 0px calc(0.3em + 10px); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: none; color: #1e293b; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mileage</span></h3>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Does mileage increase each year?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Are there any drops or unexplained anomalies?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Do large yearly increases align with the seller&rsquo;s story (e.g., a motorway commuter)?</span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 1.33333rem; margin: 1.5em 0px calc(0.3em + 10px); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: none; color: #1e293b; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Test Timing</span></h3>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Is there an MOT every year after the car turns 3?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Any long gaps with no MOT?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Any periods where multiple MOTs were done in a short space (see what failed)?</span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 1.33333rem; margin: 1.5em 0px calc(0.3em + 10px); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: none; color: #1e293b; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Pass/Fail Pattern</span></h3>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mostly passes with minor advisories tocheck car MOT history.</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Frequent failures on safety-critical items (brakes, steering, tyres, lights)?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Sudden change from a clean history to many faults in one year?</span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 1.33333rem; margin: 1.5em 0px calc(0.3em + 10px); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: none; color: #1e293b; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Advisories</span></h3>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Are the same advisories repeated year after year?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Are there advisory clusters in key systems (brakes/suspension/corrosion)?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Are older advisories later marked as repaired (no longer appearing)?</span></li>
</ul>
<h3 style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 1.33333rem; margin: 1.5em 0px calc(0.3em + 10px); outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: none; color: #1e293b; line-height: 1.3em; font-family: 'Plus Jakarta Sans', sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Consistency with Seller&rsquo;s Claims</span></h3>
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<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">Does MOT mileage match odometer and &ldquo;full service history&rdquo; claims?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"> Does usage pattern (low/high mileage) match what the seller says about previous owners?</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;">On the vehicle check, if the car is described as &ldquo;immaculate&rdquo; or &ldquo;well maintained&rdquo;, do the MOTs support that?</span></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>