The government has announced that mandatory MOT tests for car, motorcycle and van owners in England, Scotland and Wales are to be reintroduced from 1 August 2020. This means that all drivers whose vehicle is due for an MOT test from 1 August will be required to get a test certificate to continue driving their vehicle. The government is reintroducing this requirement to keep roads safe. Testing capacity has already reached 70% of normal levels and is steadily increasing.
Vehicle owners with an MOT expiry date between 30 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 will continue to receive a 6 month extension. This includes vehicles that are due their first MOT test. The MOT expiry date will be automatically extended about 7 days before it is due to expire. For example, if your vehicle's MOT was due to expire on 3 May 2020, this will automatically be extended to 3 November 2020. It is important to remember that vehicles must be kept roadworthy even if the MOT date has been extended.
If you are not using your car, you can register your vehicle as off the road by obtaining a statutory off road notification (SORN). This will result in any remaining full months of vehicle tax refunded. You could also take advice to see if your car insurance could be cancelled.
