Money saving experts have shared top tips for anyone who is due an MOT on their vehicle.
The Money Saving Expert team regularly shares top tips and advice on saving money and keeping costs down. As the cost of living continues to grip households across the UK, many are forced to make difficult financial choices.
The team has shared some top tips for anyone who has an MOT due on their vehicle. MOT's can be costly, especially if a repair needs to be made.
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According to the government, the MOT test checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards. You must get an MOT for your vehicle by either the third anniversary of its registration or the anniversary of its last MOT, if it’s over three years old.
Sharing top tips in the money saving expert newsletter, the team wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "MOT due? Here's how to find 'hidden' test centres to keep costs down. These MOT centres generally only carry out tests and don't do repairs (always check), so they're ideal if your car's in good nick."
The newsletter advised: " If your MOT's run out, you can still drive your car to a test centre provided the test's been booked in advance. And previously, if it failed the test you were still usually able to drive from the test station to a repair centre to get the problems that caused it to fail fixed, provided it still met the full requirements for road vehicles."
However, if a dangerous fault is found, you cannot drive away even if the original MOT certificate is still valid. The newsletter adds: "A dangerous fault means your car has failed the MOT and is deemed to be a risk to road safety or the environment, and mustn't be driven until it's repaired. If you do, you could be fined up to £2,500, get three penalty points and be banned from driving."
The money saving expert team advises motorists to book their MOT in advance and if you can, do a DIY MOT of the most common fails. They also encourage people to take the time to look for the right MOT centre, including "hidden" council centres.
The newsletter reads: "Many councils have their own MOT testing stations for their own vehicles, such as buses or vans. By law these test centres (though not taxi or Crown stations) must be open to the general public. But they generally only carry out tests and don't do repairs (always check), so they're ideal if your car's in pretty good condition and likely only has minor repairs needed."
However, if your car is likely to need major repairs, you should try and avoid these test centres as you cannot drive it away, meaning you may need to pay for it to be transported.
The team also shared some top tips on what to do if your car fails the test. More can be found via the newsletter here.
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