Check MOT history for any UK vehicle

A MOT history check shows the official MOT record available for a UK vehicle. MotRadar can show the latest MOT status, expiry date when DVSA provides it, test dates, pass and fail results, recorded mileage, dangerous defects, major defects, minor defects, advisories and data freshness.

Use this page as a MOT history checker when you want the historical record behind a car, van or motorcycle registration. It is focused on MOT records, not tax, insurance, finance, stolen vehicle status, valuation, write-off status or an HPI check.

If your main question is the renewal date, use the MOT expiry check. To compare tester-recorded readings over time, use the MOT mileage check.

1. Type the UK registration number into the MOT history check.
2. Submit the lookup from the same page.
3. MotRadar sends the normalized registration to its server.
4. The server queries DVSA without exposing credentials.
5. Read the latest status first, then the full history timeline.

Spaces, hyphens and lower-case letters are accepted. If the vehicle is not found, check the registration again; very new, exempt or recently updated vehicles may not have a visible MOT history yet.

The record below is fictional and simplified, but each pattern in it turns up often on real cars. It follows a 2017 hatchback through four tests, oldest first, with a note on what each entry does and does not tell a buyer.

March 2021: pass at 38,400 miles. Advisory: front tyre worn close to the legal limit. On its own this is routine. Tyres wear between tests, and an advisory is a note for the owner rather than a reason to fail.

March 2022: fail, then pass two days later at 46,100 miles. Major defect: rear brake disc excessively worn. A fail followed quickly by a pass usually means the part was repaired and the car was retested. It shows the brakes met the standard on that day, not that anyone has looked at them since.

May 2024: pass at 46,900 miles. Advisories: front tyre worn close to the legal limit; oil leak. Three things stand out here. There was no test in 2023, so for about fourteen months the car had no valid certificate; it may have been declared off the road, kept in storage or used without one, and the record cannot say which. Only 800 miles were added in just over two years, which is possible for a car that sat unused but is worth matching against service invoices. And the tyre advisory has come back with the same wording, which is exactly the kind of repeat MotRadar groups together for you.

May 2025: pass at 49,300 miles. Advisory: oil leak. Minor defect: headlamp aim slightly too high. The leak has now been noted two years running. It has not become a defect, but nothing in the record shows it was fixed either. The minor defect did not stop the car passing, yet the tester still thought it worth writing down, so it is a fair thing to ask about.

Dangerous and major items mean the car failed on that day, while minor defects and advisories can appear on a pass or a fail. The MOT failure guide explains each level in full. None of these entries proves the car is in good or poor condition now. The gap may have a simple explanation, the low mileage may be genuine and the leak may be small. Read the timeline as a dated list of questions; the answers come from paperwork, the seller and an independent inspection. Examples on MotRadar never use real full registration numbers, and lookups stay on the page instead of creating a public vehicle page.

Turn each pattern in the record into a direct question. A seller with a well-kept car can usually answer with documents.

• If there is a gap between tests, where was the car, and was it declared off the road during that time?
• Can you see invoices for the repairs made after each failed test?
• Has the repeated advisory been dealt with, and is there a receipt for the work?
• Do the mileage readings on service invoices sit sensibly between the readings taken at each test?
• Was anything recorded as a minor defect put right, or is it still waiting for attention?
• How long is left on the current certificate? The MOT expiry check shows the date.

Vague answers are not proof of a problem, but they are a good reason to slow down and arrange an inspection by someone you trust. Keep the timeline open while you talk: dates and readings are easier to discuss when both of you are looking at the same record.

Every entry in the timeline comes from DVSA MOT History data, shown as public sector information under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and kept as DVSA holds it. MotRadar is an independent site and not a government website, a DVSA service or a DVLA service. The rules behind repeated defects and mileage notes are set out on the methodology page.

A MOT history record is not a mechanical inspection, vehicle valuation, buying advice, finance check, insurance check, stolen vehicle check or future MOT pass guarantee. MotRadar also does not provide MOT certificate copies or certificate replacement downloads.