Driving without an MOT leads to £3.5 million in fines

Drivers in the UK have racked up more than £3.5 million in fines across the last year alone for driving without an MOT, new research has revealed.

Analysis of police data by vehicle lease firm Select Car Leasing shows almost 35,000 drivers were caught driving without an MOT last year. This is despite it being a legal requirement once a car reaches three years of age.

In the vast majority of cases, motorists caught driving without an MOT are handed a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) and three penalty points. However, when cars lacking an MOT are also deemed dangerous, cases are sent to court and can result in fines of up to £2,500 or even disqualification.   

The Select Car Leasing study showed how 34,489 drivers were collared without an MOT within the past year and handed FPNs. That amounts to a fine total in excess of £3.5 million.

London’s Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of offences with 10,978 motorists cited. A total of 1,393 of the most serious cases were sent to court. 

Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, said the stats were likely the ‘tip of an extremely worrying iceberg’, with most, but not all, UK forces responding to the firm’s Freedom of Information (FOI) request.  

Not an option

“The MOT is not optional; it is a legal requirement,” Conway stated. “And it is there to make sure your vehicle meets strict safety standards when it comes to brakes, lights, tyres, suspension, exhaust systems and emissions.  

“Without the annual test, you have got no way of knowing if your car is safe to be on the road, or whether it is a ticking timebomb waiting to jeopardise the lives of others.  

“It is worrying, therefore, to see so many motorists issued Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) for driving without an MOT, and with likely many more rulebreakers not recorded in our stats.” 

There are a number of ways driving without an MOT can be captured.  

• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Cameras can scan your licence plate and check it against the DVLA database, and the system can automatically issue a FPN in the post.  

• Police run MOT checks when they stop a vehicle on the road, and garages can also report dangerous cars that are lacking an MOT.  

• The DVLA and DVSA also routinely cross-check MOT records with tax and insurance databases. If your MOT expires and you do not renew it, you may receive an automatic warning letter or a fine notice by post. 

Conway added: “Some fines will no doubt have been issued as a result of a driver forgetfulness or administrative error, as opposed to wilful negligence.  

“If you struggle to keep track of when your car’s MOT is due, sign up to the DVLA’s free MOT reminder service, which gives you a nudge – via text or email – a month before your MOT is due.”  

Leading areas for driving without an MOT

Some forces, such as Kent Police, operate discretionary schemes allowing drivers to provide proof of a valid MOT within a set period to ultimately avoid a fine or prosecution from driving without an MOT.  

However, Kent Police still collected £48,800 in fines and sent 178 cases to court. 

Top 10 number of MOT-related fines issued by region in the last 12 months:  

Nine year stretch

In March this year, the driver of a MINI convertible in Swaffham, Norfolk, was handed a fine after a police stop revealed it hadn’t had a valid MOT for nine years.  

Norfolk Police said at the time: “We will often see comments on social media questioning why we spend time ‘catching drivers’ on the roads, but this is a really good example of how us doing just that will help keep you and your family safe.