Written by Menswear Style in Cars on the 10th May 2022

Your MOT is an annual event: for some it is a mild inconvenience, for others it can be a nail-biting worry that they will be left without a vehicle at worst, or saddled with uncomfortably large repair bills. No matter which side you land on, one thing is clear: getting an MOT certificate for your three-year-old (or older) car is a must. It is a legal requirement that MOT certificates are issued to vehicles in the over three age range, and here is why:

Gradual Deterioration 

Cars begin to deteriorate the moment they are driven for the first time – hence the immediate depreciation of even the newest vehicles – and this decline progresses for the life of the car, unless delayed and alleviated with regular checks and services. Trial and error has seen that cars up to the age of three tend to stay in quite good condition, with a noticeable decline after that significant birthday. This is why the MOT is set at three years. The very first ones were for ten-year-old vehicles, but many accidents continued to plague the roads, and too many vehicles were failing those early tests.

Detects Small Issues 

MOTs are often teamed with services as car owners aim to repair any potential MOT-failing faults before the test, and this can mean that cars are given more attention and more prompt services than they might otherwise receive if no one was checking up on the general condition of a car. Oddly, this can end up saving you money: catching faults while they are small and easy to fix is infinitely cheaper than waiting for the vehicle to suddenly breakdown, leaving it perhaps unrepairable. 

Other Drivers, Not Just You 

While you might be indignant at the idea of having an MOT test, thinking that you are a good and careful driver who looks after their car, you need to extrapolate that process out to every other road user out there. Do you trust everyone on the road to have the same conscientiousness that you do? That answer is almost certainly a hearty 'No!' And that is why your MOT is a legal requirement: to ensure that all the casual drivers who are careless of their vehicles and uncaring about other road users are strongly encouraged to ensure that their vehicle is legally compliant.

Now that you understand a little more about the MOT test, book DVSA approved MOTs in London at Elite Direct to do your part towards maintaining the high safety standards that the UK's road network currently enjoys.

Gradual deterioration and detects small issues are two of the reason's why a car MOT is a legal requirement.