Selling a car with No MOT
What is an MOT and What does MOT stand for?
It’s a ‘Ministry of Transport test, a legal requirement for all vehicles that are driven on the road.
When is an MOT required?
As soon as a car is 3 years old an annual test is required by law in order to ensure the vehicle is both safe for the road and meeting environmental standards.
An MOT is a crucial part of a car’s history, providing the buyer with background information. If a car has failed an MOT, should you sell it? Let’s have a look at what an MOT involves and whether you should sell a car with a failed MOT test.
How is an MOT done?
An MOT test takes around 45 minutes to an hour to complete and will involve dozens of checks on your vehicle.
What does an MOT test check?
The test will cover key areas such as brakes, exhausts and tyres. The MOT test will not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox. A comprehensive list of checks can be read in our MOT Test – What Does it Test?
What Checks Can be Done Before an MOT test?
There are some quick checks a driver can carry out pre-MOT test in order to give your vehicle the best chance of passing its MOT. Plan your pre-MOT check.
What are the most common reasons for MOT failures?
According to figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, 40% of cars and 50% of vans fail their MOT tests. The most common failures are more common than you think. Follow our advice on how to avoid MOT failures.
- Signalling and lighting (18.9%)
- Suspension (13%)
- Brakes (10%)
- Tyres (7.7%)
- Driver’s view of the road affected (7.2%)
What does a seller do if a vehicle fails MOT?
There are 3 fault categories – dangerous, major and minor.
Minor faults – the vehicle will pass in the majority of cases, it can be driven away and the fault must be repaired ASAP.
Dangerous and major faults – the vehicle will fail the MOT and cannot be driven until it is repaired. If a vehicle fails the MOT test, a VT30 certificate will be issued. This will state the items that have caused the failure. It is then the owner’s choice whether they carry out the repairs or consider selling the vehicle for scrap or salvage.
Who Buys MOT Failures?
A vehicle can still be sold if it has failed its MOT. If the repairs necessary to pass the MOT are time consuming and expensive, it may be more beneficial to sell the vehicle for scrap or salvage.
How Can an MOT Failure be Sold?
There is no better time to sell a damaged vehicle. Once repair costs have been calculated, look into the salvage value of the vehicle. Regardless of the failure, the vehicle can be collected, saving the effort of having to call around salvage yards. Cash For Cars can make an offer within minutes and remove all the pressure of what to do with a damaged vehicle.