Free tool · no signup · official DVSA data
Free MOT Check & Full MOT History by Registration
Enter a reg to see every MOT test the car has ever taken — pass, fail, advisories and the mileage recorded each time — plus its current MOT status and expiry date. Read live from the official DVLA and DVSA records. Free, instant, no account.
Free · no signup · official DVLA & DVSA data
Example result
VAUXHALL ADAM
MOT status
MOT due in 18 days
This car's MOT is valid but runs out on 5 November 2026. Book the next test before it expires.
MOT History (8 tests)
Official DVSA DataOnly have the VIN? Check MOT history by VIN — free, and it finds the record even after a plate change.
Everything the result includes
Everything below comes from the two official government sources: the DVLA vehicle register for identity and status, and the DVSA MOT testing database for the test record itself. Nothing here is estimated or inferred.
| Data point | What you'll see |
|---|---|
| Current MOT status | Whether the MOT is valid right now, straight from the DVLA record. |
| MOT expiry date | The exact date the current certificate runs out, so you know when to book. |
| Every test on record | Date and pass/fail result for each MOT the vehicle has taken since 2005. |
| Failure reasons | The items that caused each fail, in the tester's own words. |
| Advisory notes | Everything flagged for future attention, grouped by test so patterns are visible. |
| Mileage at each test | The odometer reading logged by the test station, in chronological order. |
| Mileage anomaly flag | An automatic warning if a reading drops between tests — the classic clocking signature. |
| Mileage chart | Every odometer reading plotted over time, with any reading that went down marked in red. |
| Repeated advisories | Anything still open at the latest test that was also flagged at the one before — often noted rather than repaired. |
| How this model fails its MOT | Failure rates by category for the same model, age and fuel, against every car of that age — where we hold enough tests to publish one. |
| Outstanding recall flag | Shown when DVSA records an outstanding manufacturer safety recall on the vehicle. |
| Tax status and due date | Whether the vehicle is taxed or SORN, and when the current tax expires. |
| Vehicle identity | Make, model, colour, fuel type and year, so you can confirm it is the right car. |
What it does not show is dealer servicing — the MOT record has never contained it. For that, see the full service history check.
Three steps, about ten seconds
Type the plate
That's all we ask for. There's no account to make and no email to give.
Two government records answer
DVLA confirms the car and its MOT expiry; DVSA returns every test since 2005.
We point out what matters
Readings that go backwards, advisories that keep coming back, and how this model usually fails.
Reading the record before you buy
Start by making sure the record is for the car you are looking at. The make, model, colour and year at the top of the result should match the car and its V5C. If they don't, the plates may not belong to it, and nothing else on the page matters until that is explained.
Then go through the tests from the oldest to the newest. Single results tell you little; trends tell you a lot. Look for the same advisory turning up year after year, which usually means it was noted and never fixed, and which the tool highlights for you. Look for fails in consecutive years, which suggest a car kept just about legal rather than looked after, and for a year with no test at all, which means the car was off the road.
A very clean record on an old car is worth a second look rather than a sigh of relief. Careful owners exist, but so do tired cars tested wherever they will pass.
The five results a test can give
DVSA has graded defects since 20 May 2018. Tests before then show just a pass or a fail with any advisory notes, and can't be re-graded now.
- Pass: nothing was found.
- Pass with advisories: no faults yet, but the tester wrote down things to watch, such as worn tyres or corroded pipes.
- Minor: a real fault that is small enough to pass. Get it fixed soon.
- Major: a fail. The fault makes the car less safe or dirtier than the law allows.
- Dangerous: a fail, and the car can't be used again until it is repaired. It can't even be driven to the garage.
Which advisories should change your mind about a car, and which are routine, is covered in MOT advisories explained.
What the odometer readings can and can't prove
The tester types in the odometer reading at every test, and the result plots them on a chart. A car that has been honestly used climbs steadily. A reading lower than the one before it is the clearest sign of clocking you will get for free, and the tool marks it in red.
Look at the size of each step too. A car that covered 11,000 miles a year and then just 1,500 in the year before it was advertised is worth a question, as is a car whose condition doesn't match a low total.
The readings have limits. A car under three has no tests. A long spell off the road leaves a gap. And testers sometimes mistype. If mileage is the worry, our mileage check starts from the clocking question and works through the same readings.
How this model usually fails
Where we hold enough tests, the result compares the car with others of the same model, age and fuel, category by category, using our analysis of the DVSA's published test data. It shows whether the advisories on this car are typical for the model or a sign of something worse. The figures by make are on our MOT failure statistics pages.
The MOT rules in brief
- First test: three years after first registration in Great Britain, four in Northern Ireland. Taxis and ambulances start at one year.
- Testing early: keep your renewal date by testing no more than a month (less one day) before expiry. See when is my MOT due.
- No MOT: a fine of up to £1,000, and possibly no insurance cover. The only journeys allowed are to a booked test or to a garage for the repairs it needs, and none at all after a Dangerous fail. ANPR cameras check MOT status as you drive.
- Price: DVSA caps it at £54.85 for a car or small van and £29.65 for a motorbike. A retest is free at the same garage, or within ten working days.
- Cars over 40: the keeper can declare them exempt unless they have been substantially changed in the last 30 years, though they must still be roadworthy. Details in the 40-year rule.
What an MOT never records
The test looks at brakes, tyres, lights, steering, suspension, the structure and emissions on the day. It does not look inside the engine or gearbox, and it says nothing about whether the oil was ever changed or the cambelt replaced on time. A car can pass with a cambelt well overdue.
So a good MOT history tells you the car has been legal, not that it has been maintained. For that you need the servicing record: which franchised dealers worked on it, when, at what reading, and what they did.
Add the manufacturer service records — £9.99
Dealer visits from the manufacturer's own system, with the date, the reading, the work and the dealer. Your card is authorised but not charged if no records are found.
Run a full service history checkWhere this data comes from
Two sources, both official, both queried live at the moment you press the button. Vehicle identity, tax status and MOT expiry come from the DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service. The test history, defect wording and odometer readings come from the DVSA MOT History API. Nothing is cached from a third-party aggregator and nothing is modelled.
Because the data is read live, the result reflects the record as it stood at the moment of the lookup. A test carried out that morning may take a short time to appear on the DVSA system. FindServiceHistory is an independent service and is not affiliated with the DVLA or the DVSA.
Every check has a link you can send
Once you run a plate, the result gets its own permanent address — /check-mot-history/YOURREG — so you can paste it into a forum thread, a WhatsApp message or an email to whoever is helping you decide. Whoever opens it sees exactly what you saw, with no signup and no paywall, and can share it onward themselves. It is the same free government data either way; the link just saves the next person typing the plate in again.
MOT check — frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything?▾
No. The DVLA and DVSA records it reads are free to query, so there is no charge, no sign-up and no card. The paid manufacturer service history is a separate product, and nothing here depends on buying it.
Why does the history start in 2005?▾
That is when MOT results in England, Scotland and Wales started being recorded on computer. Earlier tests were on paper and were never transferred, so an older car's history begins part-way through its life. Northern Ireland's tests sit on a different system and show from 2017.
Is an advisory something I need to fix?▾
Not before the car can be used, but it is a warning. The tester has spotted something that is wearing towards a fail, such as a tyre or a brake disc. One advisory means little; the same one at three tests in a row usually means it was never dealt with.
What do Minor, Major and Dangerous mean?▾
They are the grades DVSA has given every defect since 20 May 2018. A Minor defect still passes. A Major defect fails. A Dangerous defect fails and the car must not be used at all until it is put right, even if the old certificate still has time left.
Where do I find my MOT expiry date?▾
Type the registration into the form at the top of this page. The result shows the expiry date on the DVLA record and whether the MOT is valid today. Our guide to when your MOT is due explains the renewal window and first-test dates.
Can I take the MOT early?▾
Yes. Booking the test for no more than a month (less one day) ahead of the expiry date keeps your renewal date where it is, and gives you time to sort out a failure. Go earlier than that and next year's certificate is dated from the test instead.
Can I drive a car whose MOT has run out?▾
Only to a test you have already booked, or to and from a garage for the repairs it needs. Otherwise it is an offence with a fine of up to £1,000, and an insurer may refuse a claim. If the last test recorded a Dangerous defect, the car should be moved on a trailer, not driven.
Why does the result show no tests?▾
Usually because the car is too new: in Great Britain the first test is due at three years old, and in Northern Ireland at four. A recent import shows nothing until its first UK test, and a car over 40 may have been declared exempt.
Do cars over 40 need an MOT?▾
Not if the keeper declares the car exempt, which is allowed once it is more than 40 years old and hasn't been substantially changed in the last 30. The car still has to be roadworthy whenever it is used, and plenty of owners keep having it tested.
Can the MOT readings prove a car hasn't been clocked?▾
They are the strongest free evidence there is, but they can't prove it. Each test logs the odometer, so a reading lower than the one before is a red flag, and the tool marks it for you. A change made between two tests, or before the first one, would not show.
Will the MOT history show the car's servicing?▾
No. An MOT checks that the car is safe and legal on the day; it records nothing about oil changes, cambelts or dealer servicing. That record lives with the manufacturer, which is what our paid service history check looks up.
What does an MOT cost?▾
DVSA caps the fee at £54.85 for a car or small van (class 4) and £29.65 for a motorbike, and many garages charge less. After a fail, a partial retest is free if the car stays at the same garage, or comes back within ten working days.
Other free checks and guides
When Is My MOT Due?
The renewal window, first-MOT rules and what happens if you miss it
MOT Advisories Explained
Pass, Minor, Major and Dangerous — which ones fail and which matter
MOT Exemption & the 40-Year Rule
When a classic stops needing a test, and what the V112 declares
Mileage & Clocking Check
Every MOT mileage reading charted, with a clocking verdict up front
Free Car Tax Check
Is it taxed or SORN? When is the current tax due?
Free VIN Check
The same MOT record by VIN, with the registration the car carries now
Service Schedule Checker
What your manufacturer says the car is due, and when
Car Symptom Checker
Won't start, warning light, noise? Likely causes, ranked
Car Spec & Build Sheet Check
Registered spec free by reg, plus the factory options it was built with