Over 350,000 drivers 'at risk of £1,000 fine'

THOUSANDS of drivers risk collecting a £1,000 fine or worse by being unaware of the date their MOT expires.

Research by MOTA, an independent booking provider of servicing and MOTs suggests that 43% of customers making enquiries already had an expired MOT, and 15% had no idea when their MOT was due.

A car without a valid MOT being driven on the road is potentially subject to a £1,000 by the police, and also means that insurers may not pay out in the event of an accident.

MOT Angel founder, Matthew Tumbridge, said: “Leaving aside any extreme outcomes, when customers book their car in for an MOT test with little or no time left, they are limiting their options in terms of shopping around for repairs and increasing the chances of being inconvenienced.

“You can have the MOT up to a month before its expiry date without losing any of the existing cover. You can then continue to drive the car even if it fails, provided it is not unroadworthy.

“If you have no time left on your MOT and are unlucky on parts availability you can end up incurring hire car or taxi costs while waiting for your car to be allowed back on the road. But bigger repair bills are even worse. If you have no MOT left, it’s harder to move the car to another garage, so you are at the mercy of the garage you are at and they can inflate the bill.”

By Press Association reporters