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How to read a car's MOT history#
A car's MOT history is the closest thing a used buyer gets to a service record that can't be faked. Every test since 2005 is on DVSA's public record: the date, result, recorded mileage, and every defect and advisory the tester wrote down. Read properly, it tells you how a car has been driven, maintained and neglected - for free.
The basics#
- Cars need their first MOT at three years old (so a car under three has no history - that's normal, not missing data).
- Tests are annual after that. The record shows PASS or FAIL, the odometer reading, and the defects found.
- A car can pass with advisories - and most do.
Defect categories#
Since May 2018, MOT defects are graded:
| Grade | Meaning | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous | Immediate risk to road safety - illegal to drive until fixed | Fail |
| Major | Affects safety or the environment | Fail |
| Minor | No significant safety effect, noted for repair | Pass |
| Advisory | Wear to keep an eye on - not yet a defect | Pass |
Advisories are the buyer's goldmine. They show what was starting to wear at each test - and whether the owner did anything about it. An advisory that appears one year and is gone the next was fixed. One that repeats for three years and then becomes a fail tells you exactly how the car was maintained.
Patterns worth noticing#
- A fail followed by a pass a few days later is routine - the owner fixed the failure and retested. Look at what failed.
- Repeated failures in the same area (say, suspension every year) suggests a chronic problem or hard use, and on some models it's simply a known weakness - compare against the model's typical failure areas.
- Long gaps between tests can mean the car was declared off-road (SORN), sat unused, or was driven untested. Untaxed, untested months before a sale are worth asking about.
- Dropping or flat mileage between tests is the classic clocking signal - see mileage clocking.
- Dangerous defects anywhere in the record deserve a direct question: what was it, who repaired it, and is there an invoice?
What MOT history can't tell you#
The MOT is a roadworthiness snapshot on one day, not an inspection of the whole car. It says nothing about the engine's internals, the gearbox, servicing, or accident history - a freshly written-off car can carry a clean MOT record. That's why a full check pairs the MOT record with write-off, finance, theft and mileage databases.
Related reading#
- Mileage clocking: how to spot wound-back miles
- What is a write-off? Cat A, B, S and N explained
- Car tax (VED) explained
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Every Check The Reg report includes the full MOT history free - every test, mileage, defect and advisory, plus a mileage chart and a model-vs-peers pass-rate comparison.