MOT V/S Servicing: What is the Difference?

People often get confused between MOT and Servicing of their car, especially those who take their car to the MOT testing centre for the first time. Going through this confusion of the car owners this article focuses on the major difference between both these concepts. To begin let us first understand the concept of MOT.

What is an MOT (Ministry of Transport) Test? Well, in simple words an MOT is an annual test of your car that is conducted strictly according to traffic laws prevailing in the United Kingdom. According to UK traffic laws, it is a mandatory test for every vehicle which is three years old and running on the roads. The criteria of this test are determined by the DVSA. Undergoing and clearing this test is an assurance that you are safe for driving. To clear the test your car must be in good working condition.

Here, one thing that needs to be mentioned here importantly is that it is important to get the MOT conducted by an authorised test centre. The MOT certificate issued only by an authorised MOT centre is valid. If you take your vehicle for an MOT test to an unauthorised centre and get the certificate, it will be invalid. During the test, an authorised MOT test centre will check the following points of your car

1. Bodywork
2. Brakes
3. Doors
4. Emissions
5. Fuel system
6. Horn
7. Lights
8. Mirrors
9. Registration plate
10. Seat belts
11. Seats
12. Steering and suspension
13. Vehicle identification number
14. Wheels and tyres
15. Windscreen
16. Wipers and washer bottle

What is Car Servicing? Well after understanding the concept of MOT, let us understand what is car servicing? As both MOT and car servicing involve checking the brakes, seat belts, tyres, and other parts. Still, there is a huge difference between both of them. Car servicing is used in a broad sense and involves the repairs and replacement of the damaged components according to their existing condition. It also involves the replacement and top-up of necessary fluids, spark plugs, air filters, etc, for improving the performance of your car.

Car servicing involves the servicing and inspection of your car according to the instructions given by its manufacturers and not according to the guidelines determined by DVSA. Servicing of a car varies from garage to garage, whereas the authorised centres conducting MOT will perform the same tests on all types of cars and other vehicles.

How does MOT Differ from Servicing? Clearing the MOT test is an assurance that your car is safe for driving and is strictly according to the safety norms determined by the DVSA. Servicing ensures that you will car will perform flawlessly without any difficulty. You can drive your car without servicing for a few days, but cannot drive even for a day without having the MOT clearance certificate. It is therefore important to take your car for MOT strictly according to its scheduled time. Remember that the MOT conducting centre is not responsible for sending you the reminder for the test, you need to remember the date of the test.

Importance of MOT: With an MOT clearance certificate not only you can drive your car anywhere in the United Kingdom, but it also impacts the validity of your car’s insurance. If you are driving the car with an MOT certificate then the insurance of your car will become invalid. If you are found the culprit for driving the car without an MOT certificate, the premium of insurance will go high at the time of its renewal.

Conclusion: MOT and car servicing are two different concepts and should not be mixed with each other.