What Happens If Your Car Fails Its MOT?

A failed MOT is more common than people expect, and it isn't the disaster it can feel like in the moment. What matters is understanding what actually failed and why.

Dangerous, major or minor

The DVSA sorts every fault into one of three categories. A dangerous fault means the car shouldn't be driven at all until it's fixed. A major fault means an automatic fail and the car shouldn't be driven except to a pre-booked repair. A minor fault gets recorded but doesn't fail the test on its own, it's worth fixing but isn't urgent.

If it fails at one of our centres

We'll walk you through exactly what failed and why, in plain language, not a printout full of jargon. If it's something we can fix there and then, we'll quote it before touching anything, no work starts until you've said yes. If you'd rather get a second opinion or fix it yourself, that's fine too, we'll give you the paperwork either way.

Get the fault fixed and bring the car back within 10 working days and we don't charge for the retest. That's true at all three of our centres, Clydebank Domestic, Clydebank Commercial and our Jamestown branch in Alexandria.

The one thing worth knowing

If your MOT has already expired and the car failed on a dangerous fault, you legally can't drive it home. Ask us about arranging recovery or a courtesy vehicle rather than risking it, it's a conversation we have often and there's no awkwardness in asking.