An MOT Reminder Service Would be Quite Useful

Update

The Gov.uk website now has an MOT reminder service where they send you a text/email 1 month before yours is due if you sign up.

The rant below is not applicable anymore but kept for historical purposes.

A long time ago...

With the busy lifestyle that everyone has, it is almost impossible to remember all the things that you need to do. Birthdays, doctor appointments, paying bills, meetings are examples of things that we need to constantly remember doing. If you own a car now, you cannot forget to renew your insurance and tax because you are reminded of them by letters a few weeks before they expire. However for MOT, it is a different story. There's no MOT reminder service from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) which is the regulating body.

It is unfair and quite frustrating because most people abide by the law and will have an MOT performed on their vehicle if they remember that one needs to be done. However sometimes you forget especially if there's like a 6-12 months period since that last popped into your mind like in the case of the Ministry of Transport Test.

It does not cost a lot to have the MOT done - you usually just pay for having the test carried on your vehicle. In more complex cases, you might need to replace or repair things in your car and book a second test but the expenses don't come up as alarming in most cases. However if you have been found driving without MOT, then you risk paying a fine of upto £1000. Now this is a hard blow right in the face. If you are the type of person who does things by the rules and for some reason or another forget to renew your MOT certificate, then it is quite unfair that you should pay such a hefty fine. The government needs to do more so that people are reminded when their MOT are about to expire so that they can take the necessary actions.

You are allowed to renew your MOT 1 month (actually it's 4 weeks, that is, 28 days) before it expires and have the new certificate start from the expiry date of the old one rather than from the date when you took your car for the test and passed. This is really good but you still need to be informed when your MOT is up.

Some people write in their diaries, some put reminders on their computers or phones. There are websites now which offer a free mot reminder service and will send you an email a month before yours is up and another one 1 week before. Unfortunately not everyone has access to emails and there's no substitute for the old traditional letter reminder. The letter has a more psychological effect and will compel you to get your MOT done straight away. Anyway, let's wait and see if the government plans to change things for us.