MOT Certificate

Your MOT certificate confirms that your vehicle at the time of its test (as far as can be reasonably determined without dismantling) met the minimum acceptable environmental and road safety standards required by law. It doesn’t mean that the vehicle is roadworthy for the life of the certificate and isn’t a substitute for regular maintenance.

The need for an MOT certificate

It’s generally an offence to use a vehicle of testable age that doesn’t have a current test certificate on a public road except when:

• taking it to a test station for a test booked in advance
• bringing it away from a test station after it has failed the test, to a place of repair
• taking it to or bringing it away from a place where, by previous arrangement, repairs are to be made or have been made to fix the problems that caused the vehicle to fail its test

Even in the above circumstances you may still be prosecuted for driving an unroadworthy vehicle if it doesn’t comply with various regulations affecting its construction and use. Also, the insurance may not be valid. It’s your responsibility as the vehicle owner to ensure that the due MOT test is carried out in time.

Do I have to display the new MOT disc in the windscreen of my Vehicle?

From the 1^st May 2008 any vehicle with a current Northern Ireland MOT must display the disc. Part two of the vehicle test certificate (the disc) should be displayed on the inside of the windscreen. It should be placed on the passenger’s side and should be close to the edge of the windscreen, so as not to cause an obstruction to the driver’s view of the road.

In the case of motorcycles, the certificate should be displayed on the nearside of the motorcycle in a weatherproof container. The police are entitled to see an MOT certificate for a vehicle that’s required to have one.

A test certificate relates only to the condition of testable items at the time of the test and should not be regarded as:

• evidence of its condition at any other time
• evidence of the general mechanical condition of the vehicle
• evidence that the vehicle fully complies with all aspects of the law on vehicle construction and use

Checking the authenticity of an MOT certificate

If you have reason to believe the certificate you have been issued isn’t genuine please contact the DVA MOT enquiry line on 0845 6014 094. Calls are charged at the national rate.

Replacing lost or damaged MOT certificates

If you have lost or damaged your MOT certificate, you can apply at any DVA Test Centre for a duplicate certificate. The fee for a duplicate certificate for a car is £10.00.