MOT stands for the Ministry of Transport, the now-defunct government department that first introduced the test in 1960.

An MOT determines whether your car is roadworthy by testing its safety and exhaust emissions. An MOT certificate is proof that your car is legal to drive on the road.

You must get an MOT by the third anniversary of your car’s registration, or a year after its last MOT.

Unless your vehicle is under three years old, it is illegal to drive a vehicle without an MOT. The only exception is if you are driving to a pre-booked test at an authorised test centre.

If caught driving a vehicle without a valid MOT, you can be fined up to £1,000. If you drive a vehicle determined to be 'dangerous' by an MOT test, you can be banned from driving, receive three penalty points on your licence, and face a fine of up to £2,500.

You can replace an MOT certificate for free on the government website. You will need your registration number and the 11-digit number from your vehicle log book (V5C).

You can find out if a vehicle has an MOT certificate and when it runs out on the government website. You’ll need to enter your vehicle’s registration number.

Yes. You can get an MOT one month, minus a day, before the expiry date of your existing certificate.

Yes. MOTs are outside the scope of VAT and are not included in your VAT return’s inputs or outputs.

No. Although a common misconception, there is no two-week ‘grace period’ for lapsed MOTs. If your vehicle’s MOT has expired, it’s illegal to be driving it on the road unless you are driving directly to an MOT centre.

If your vehicle fails its MOT, you can get a free retest if you leave it with the original MOT testing station for repair and arrange for a partial retest within the next 10 days.