How do I get hold of MOT records for a second-hand car?

How do I get hold of MOT records for a second-hand car?

Buying a secondhand car privately can save you money but the savings might be outweighed by the risks. It’s always advisable to carry out thorough checks to ensure a vehicle is genuine before buying it – there’s no bargain if a car is stolen or has significant debts.

Any vehicle which is three years old or over must have a valid MOT certificate to be legally used on the UK’s roads. An MOT will give you an indication of whether or not the vehicle is roadworthy before you buy it but it will by no means provides a comprehensive assessment of the health of the car and service history is a better indicator of this.

MOT documentation is essential to enable you to purchase road tax for your vehicle. It also provides an expiry date showing you when you must arrange a new MOT to be carried out and an odometer reading, which records the vehicle’s mileage. If a private seller cannot provide you with MOT documentation for whatever reason, you can log on to the Government’s website to carry out your own search.

To be able to use this system, you will need the vehicle’s registration number and the V5C registration reference number (which is located on your registration certificate). The facility will provide you will the expiry date of your MOT, the MOT test number and the details of which garage performed the last MOT. You will then be able to ring the garage and provide your MOT test number to receive a copy of the MOT documentation at a cost of around £10.

The Government’s checking service only enables you to check the MOT status of a vehicle from 2005 when MOT’s were first computerised. By entering the vehicle’s details, you will receive a history of full MOT test details and mileage at the time of each MOT test.

As one of Thurrock’s best-loved MOT Test Centres , M&BM Motors has many years’ experience delivering MOT testing and servicing. Based on the Globe Industrial Estate in Grays, M&BM Motors tests all vehicles and is also approved to perform taxi tests by Thurrock Council. It is also one of only two centres to be licensed to carry out testing of stretched Limousines. To arrange a test or for more information on its services, call M &BM Motors on 01375 379401