MOTs suspended
Following further inspections of lift faults in MOT centres, the contractor has not provided sufficient assurance to the DVA on the effectiveness of the ongoing repairs. To ensure the health and safety of staff and customers and as a precautionary measure, DVA has suspended all MOT testing for cars and light goods vehicles with immediate effect.
Opening hours will be extended to increase capacity to facilitate the prioritisation of taxis and four year old vehicles with imminent expiry dates.
Anyone scheduled for a car or light goods vehicle MOT should not attend. Customers, except those with taxis or four year old cars, will be issued with an MOT Temporary Exemption Certificate. The exemption will be recorded in the DVA system and a hard copy certificate will be issued by post in the coming days.
Temporary Exemption Certificates (TECs)
Temporary Exemption Certificates will be issued to all customers, except customers with taxis and four year old cars, where the MOT has expired or will do shortly as a result of the DVA cancelling their MOT appointment. These exemptions will extend a vehicle’s MOT certificate. So long as a TEC has been applied, customers may continue to drive and can check the status of their vehicle’s MOT here(external link opens in a new window / tab).
Getting a TEC
If your MOT appointment has been cancelled by the DVA, a temporary exemption will be applied and a copy of the TEC will be posted to the address provided at the time the original MOT test was booked. This will confirm the period of the exemption. It may take up to 10 days before the paper copy of the TEC is received by the vehicle owner.
It is the responsibility of the vehicle owner to ensure their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition to be used on a public road:
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency system (for vehicle tax) is updated overnight so that vehicle owners can tax their vehicle online. The current status of your vehicle can be checked at the following link:
Vehicle owners will receive an MOT reminder 6 weeks before the expiry of the TEC date and will need to book a new MOT appointment with the DVA before their certificate expires.
Taxis and four year old cars
Taxi vehicles will not be issued with a TEC as the relevant legislation does not provide for this. DVA will instead prioritise appointments.
The DVA is currently investigating options for four year old cars.
Legal position if TEC hasn’t been received in the post
A customer can still drive their car before receiving their paper copy of the TEC as the MOT certificate is automatically updated. It remains the responsibility of the vehicle owner to ensure their vehicle is in a roadworthy condition to be used on a public road.
Tax issues if MOT has expired
The temporary exemption certificate will allow customers to tax their vehicles as normal. The exemption will be recorded in the DVLA system and so owners can tax their vehicles. A hard copy exemption certificate will arrive by post, usually within 10 days.
The PSNI has made a statement clarifying its position on this issue. Driving without vehicle tax is not prosecuted by PSNI and is the remit of DVLA. Where a police officer detects a vehicle without tax and it is outside of the 14 day grace period provide in the legislation, a referral is made to the DVLA. Given these exceptional circumstances where PSNI detects a vehicle without a valid MOT certificate, providing the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition, officers would be encouraged to exercise discretion.
Insurance and tax issues if MOT test certificate not up to date
Once the TEC is applied, the vehicle’s MOT certificate has been extended and is valid. The DVLA system is updated overnight so that vehicle owners can tax their vehicle online. The current status of your vehicle can be checked here(external link opens in a new window / tab)
The Association of British Insurers has advised that a motor insurance policy requires that the vehicle is kept in roadworthy condition and it is the responsibility of the driver to make sure their vehicle is safe to drive and complies with all applicable laws. An insurer would not penalise a policyholder for something that is entirely out of their control, such as the suspension of MOT test facilities, and would approach any claims on a pragmatic case-by-case basis provided that the policyholder had booked a test.
Drivers are still advised to contact their individual insurers.
How this affects agricultural vehicles
Trucks, including cattle trucks, are unaffected by the current disruption and are being tested as normal. Private vehicles, such as jeeps which have had their MOT cancelled as a result of the recent issues, will be issued an MOT exemption certificate which will allow the vehicle to be taxed and used on the road. The exemption will be automatically recorded in the DVA system and a hard copy will be posted to the vehicle owner in the coming days. Any farm vehicles under the farm tax scheme are exempt from MOT and therefore there is no change.
MOT appointment booking advice if TEC has been issued
Vehicle owners will receive an MOT reminder 6 weeks before the expiry of the new extended certificate date and will need to book a new MOT appointment with the DVA before their certificate expires.
If you receive a reminder to book your MOT
Anyone receiving a reminder notice to book an MOT should still continue to make a booking. This means that, if DVA has to cancel the booking the vehicle owner will automatically receive a temporary exemption certificate.
Do not attend MOT appointment until further notice
Anyone currently scheduled for a car or light goods vehicle MOT should not attend until further notice.
Up to date information
We are asking the public to follow media, social media channels and the nidirect website for updates.
This infomation is care of https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/ongoing-issues-mot-test-centres?fbclid=IwAR3vk81vGRMEYLtTPV498e-AzVo6FXz7iNaitKb_LgHr-oe77H23rungGVg
