It stands for Ministry of Transport test. Any car in the UK over three years old has to be tested annually, and it's a pretty comprehensive test to check that everything meets the legal requirements (lights, suspension, tyres, brakes, exhaust emissions, windows and windscreen wipers, and a whole host of other things).
The test itself isn't too expensive, but there are often things that are found during the test that need to be repaired to meet the requirements. That's the bit that can get expensive !
In a strange quirk of the rules, vehicles over 40 years old can apply for exemption from the MOT test as an historic vehicle. The logic is that if you've got a vehicle that old, it probably isn't used on a daily basis and you're probably an enthusiast who will keep it well maintained anyway.
Back in the 90s a friend of mine was driving a '67 Ford pickup. One day we broke down and a cop car pulled over and offered to push us with his car so that we could get off the main road and park on the side road.
He said, "OK, put your seatbelts on."
Friend: "Truck was made before seatbelts."
Cop: "Oh right okay then put your hazard lights on."
Friend: "Made before hazards."
Cop: "Huh. Well I guess that happens." 🤣
It stands for Ministry of Transport test. Any car in the UK over three years old has to be tested annually, and it's a pretty comprehensive test to check that everything meets the legal requirements (lights, suspension, tyres, brakes, exhaust emissions, windows and windscreen wipers, and a whole host of other things).
The test itself isn't too expensive, but there are often things that are found during the test that need to be repaired to meet the requirements. That's the bit that can get expensive !
In a strange quirk of the rules, vehicles over 40 years old can apply for exemption from the MOT test as an historic vehicle. The logic is that if you've got a vehicle that old, it probably isn't used on a daily basis and you're probably an enthusiast who will keep it well maintained anyway.
Back in the 90s a friend of mine was driving a '67 Ford pickup. One day we broke down and a cop car pulled over and offered to push us with his car so that we could get off the main road and park on the side road.
He said, "OK, put your seatbelts on."
Friend: "Truck was made before seatbelts."
Cop: "Oh right okay then put your hazard lights on."
Friend: "Made before hazards."
Cop: "Huh. Well I guess that happens." 🤣