Top Three MOT Car Myths: True or False
The MOT test can be a closed book to some drivers, and those drivers can sometimes pass along stories about failing their MOT test over the tiniest of faults.
In fact, the MOT test is quite specific: each inspector has access to a checklist which is the same over the whole country, used at all MOT testing centres and which you can check yourself before you book your vehicle in for its test!
Having a MOT certificate is mandatory for every vehicle in the UK whether the motorist is driving or traveling in England, Scotland or Wales, so let us take a look at some of the MOT myths and clarify what you need to do and when…
Myth #1: Obstructions Don’t Include Things Like Stickers, Air Fresheners or an Empty Screen-wash Bottle!
Wrong! Anything that prevents a full 360° field of vision can count as an obstruction, and that includes stickers on any of the windows, dangling air-fresheners (or fluffy dice) hanging from your rear-view mirror, and the better known ones like cracks or chips on the windscreen, or having the windscreen so dirty that you can’t see through it. If you need an air-freshener, it should be smaller than four (4) centimeters on all sides and attached with as short a string as possible, so it does not flap distractingly while you drive.
Before you book your MOT, sit in the driver’s seat and check your lines of sight in all directions, front and back and side to side. Anything at all that obscures your vision in any direction that can be removed, should be removed. Apart from helping you pass your MOT, a surprisingly small barrier can be enough to prevent you from seeing a motorcyclist, for example, in good time for safe driving.
Myth #2: You Must Have a Spare Tyre to Pass Your MOT
Wrong! Surprisingly enough, your vehicle is not checked for a spare tyre during the MOT, unless the spare tyre is fitted at the time, and even then it will only be checked as one of the fitted tyres, not under any special ‘spare tyre’ category. And this one is easily disproved: there is no circumstance under which the MOT inspector checks the boot of the car – they spend a fair amount of time under the bonnet of the car, similarly underneath it.
If this reassures you and if you are looking for a reliable recommendation to book your MOT test – you can visit Fife Autocentre (tel: 01592 631211) for more information.
Myth #3: I Can Buy Car Insurance Without an MOT Test
Wrong! While in theory you can buy an insurance policy for a car that does not have an MOT certificate (a vintage car, for example, or otherwise an especially valuable but undrivable vehicle) in practice this is highly irregular and usually you will need to have a conversation with your insurance broker to detail exactly why your vehicle has no MOT. If there are no exceptions to having an MOT, such as those detailed above, then you are likely to have invalidated any existing insurance policy the moment the previous MOT certificate expired – and this is likely to be detailed in the fine print of your insurance product’s paperwork!
Don’t take a chance on losing the coverage offered by a valid MOT certificate and existing insurance – make sure you keep your vehicle up-to-date and legally compliant.
A lot of drivers believe that they will fail should their radios not operate and windows not open. What is true, however, is that there is no grace period after the expiry of your MOT certificate giving you two weeks or so to have your MOT done – rather, you can renew your MOT any time in the 30 days before its expiry and not lose your anniversary date: and that is something worth remembering, when you realize that you can be fined up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT!