The Department for Transport has rolled out a six month exemption period for MOT testing to help stem the impact of the coronavirus. 

MOT tests suspended due the coronavirus.

The change is automatic, and the six-month period will run from the date your MOT runs out. So, if your MOT runs out on April 3, 2020, you won’t need to MOT it until October 3, 2020. You can find your new MOT date by visiting https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history and entering your registration number. If it’s on the list, you’ll still be able to tax it without a MOT.

You do need to make sure your vehicle is kept in a roadworthy condition, which is a legal condition in any case. You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

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If your MOT ran out before March 30, and you haven’t re-tested it yet then you still have to – not least because you can’t tax it without a MOT. You can SORN the bike if you aren’t going to use it, or until you can get the bike tested. If you have Coronavirus or are living with someone who does or self-isolating, you shouldn’t go out.

Booking a MOT 150 miles away so you can go for a ride isn’t considered acceptable. You are only supposed to use your bike to do vital shopping, because you have medical needs to fulfil or have to travel to work and cannot work from home.

Paper MOT certificates won’t be issued by testing stations to reduce person-to-person contact. As usual, classic bikes over 40-years-old don’t need a MOT certificate, but still need to be roadworthy.

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Ross Mowbray
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