If my current MOT expires on the 29th March, when is the earliest I can get it tested whilst still preserving the anniversary of the current expiry date?

I assume the 1st March?

MOT can be carried out up to one calendar month prior to the expiry date of your existing MOT certificate, whilst still preserving the anniversary of the expiry date. If you have your test carried out a month before the due date, your MOT is effectively valid for 13 months.

From memory it says the date on the certificate.

The issue is I can’t do one calendar month before due to Feb having 28 days, so assuming it’s just rounded up to the 1st March.

There or there abouts – it lets you get a convenient date upto a month before.

But if it fails the early test it fails full stop. You don’t have a month to drive it around and get it fixed just because it wasn’t actually due an mot until x date.

But if it fails the early test it fails full stop. You don’t have a month to drive it around and get it fixed just because it wasn’t actually due an mot until x date.

Not 100% correct unless it fails on a safety related item. The original MOT that is still in date means that the car is still MOT’d until the original expiry date. If you failed on a faulty tyre the original MOT would be valid but you will still get fined and 3 points for driving with a defective tyre. You won’t get done for no MOT.

If you failed the new test on a something like an Engine Management Light you can still drive it until the original MOT expires.

The MOT test is only for the condition of the vehicle at the actual time of the inspection. It is up to the driver to maintain the vehicle in a road worthy condition at all times.

MOT rules are a minefield with all sorts of interpretations made by different Testers and Test Centres but the bottom line is that you are responsible for the condition of your vehicle at all times even if it has a valid test certificate.

If you failed the new test on a something like an Engine Management Light you can still drive it until the original MOT expires.

Why would an engine management light cause a car to fail an MOT?

https://www.rac.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?24631-New-Standards-on-MOT-From-May-2018

From May EML is a major fail

thanks to it all being computerised these days it seems there are cases of ANPR being triggered prior to expiry of old ticket….

try sticking your details of a car that had an early fail into the mot checker system….. it shows as failed and not having current mot.

From May EML is a major fail

That’s completely stupid. The fault can be read and it is clear of it’s a safety issue or not.

I have an old Yaris and EML has been on for years. It’s something to do with an air valve that opens/closes when idling if the engine warm or cold.Not a real issue.

im sure the designers just put that air valve there for a laugh.

also , fault codes dont always directly relate to the fault it can be upwards or downwards of the issue where a fault is triggered.

It certainly is a confusing situation.

https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test

Your car can fail its MOT, but as long as it has a valid MOT certificate you can drive it if it meets minimum standards of road worthiness!

I was always under the impression that an MOT checked for minimum standard of road worthiness but appears I was incorrect!

Having looked at what’s actually tested I can see how you could fail on a non safety related item(i.e. emissions) but still be safe to drive.

As per trail_rat that’s what I was basing my info on

I have an old Yaris and EML has been on for years. It’s something to do with an air valve that opens/closes when idling if the engine warm or cold.Not a real issue.

It means its emissions probably wouldn’t pass the same test they did when it was new though.