MOT FAQs

An MOT (Ministry of Transport) test is a legally required annual inspection for most vehicles over three years old. It checks that your vehicle meets the minimum road safety and environmental standards set by the DVSA. Without a valid MOT certificate, it is illegal to drive your vehicle on a public road — and your insurance may be invalidated.

The test covers over 60 components including brakes, lights, steering, tyres, exhaust emissions, and bodywork. It does not cover the mechanical condition of the engine or gearbox — those are assessed during a service.

Most vehicles require their first MOT when they turn three years old. The due date is based on the vehicle's date of first registration, not when you bought it. You can check your MOT due date for free on the DVSA's MOT history checker.

A standard car MOT typically takes around 45 minutes to an hour. If your vehicle has known issues or requires additional checks, it may take slightly longer. We'll let you know if anything unexpected comes up during the test.

Yes — you can drive your vehicle to a pre-booked MOT appointment even if you suspect it may fail, provided it is not in a dangerous condition. However, if your current MOT has already expired, you may only drive it to a pre-booked test appointment. Driving with an expired MOT at any other time is illegal.

You'll need to bring your vehicle and its V5C logbook (registration document). You don't need to bring your previous MOT certificate — the DVSA holds this digitally. Make sure your vehicle has enough fuel for the emissions test, and that the windscreen is clean and free of obstructions.

If your vehicle has a private number plate, make sure it is correctly fitted and legible — this is one of the most common reasons for an immediate failure.

If your vehicle fails, you'll receive a VT30 refusal notice listing the items that need to be fixed. Your current MOT certificate expires immediately — you cannot legally drive the vehicle on a public road until the faults are repaired and a retest is passed. The only exception is driving directly to a pre-booked repair appointment.

Farcet Garage can arrange repairs through our network of trusted independent technicians. Once repaired, we can retest your vehicle — often the same day.

An advisory is a note on your MOT certificate that flags an item showing early wear or a minor issue — but one that is not yet serious enough to cause a failure. Your vehicle has passed and is legal to drive. However, advisories are worth taking seriously: left unattended, they often become failures at the next test. We recommend arranging repairs for advisory items before your next MOT is due.

If your vehicle fails and is repaired within 10 working days of the original test, we only need to retest the items that failed — not the full MOT. This is called a partial retest and is usually quicker and cheaper than a full retest. If the vehicle is returned after 10 working days, a full MOT is required.

The most common MOT failure items are:

• Lights — bulbs out, incorrect aim, or damaged lenses
• Tyres — insufficient tread depth (minimum 1.6mm), damage, or incorrect pressure
• Brakes — worn pads or discs, uneven braking performance
• Windscreen — chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight
• Number plates — dirty, damaged, or non-standard font
• Suspension — worn bushes, shock absorbers, or ball joints

Many of these are straightforward to fix before your test. If you have known issues, it's worth getting them looked at beforehand.

You can book online using our booking form, or call us directly on 01733 894441. Online bookings are requests — we'll confirm your slot by phone or email, usually within one working day.

Yes. You can have your MOT done up to one calendar month (minus a day) before your current certificate expires, and the new certificate will still run from the original expiry date — so you don't lose any time. For example, if your MOT expires on 31 July, you can test from 1 July and the new certificate will still run to 31 July the following year.

We are open Monday to Friday 7:00am–4:30pm. We are closed on weekends and bank holidays. Call us on 01733 894441 during opening hours if you have any questions.

We are based at 101 Peterborough Road, Farcet, Peterborough (PE7 3BN), and serve the surrounding area including Yaxley, Stanground, Fletton, Whittlesey, and central Peterborough. We are easy to reach from the A15 and A605. If you're unsure whether we're convenient for you, give us a call and we'll help.

We test Class 4 vehicles, which covers cars and most light vans. Larger vans and motorhomes may be testable depending on whether our ramp can safely lift the vehicle's weight — this varies by make, model, and gross vehicle weight.

If you're unsure whether your vehicle qualifies, please call us on 01733 894441 before booking and we'll confirm. We'd rather check in advance than turn you away on the day.

Farcet Garage is a DVSA-approved MOT test station. We don't carry out repairs in-house, but we can arrange them through our network of trusted, qualified independent technicians. If your vehicle fails or has advisories, we'll connect you with someone who can fix it — and then retest it here once the work is done. See our Repairs page for more information.

Yes — you are welcome to wait at the garage while your vehicle is being tested. Most standard car MOTs are completed within an hour. If you'd prefer to leave your vehicle and collect it later, that's fine too — just let us know when you book.

Yes. Farcet Garage is an authorised DVSA MOT test station. All our testers are qualified and approved by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. The garage trades as Euro Car Garage Ltd.