One in 10 drivers who received an MOT extension for their car during the first coronavirus lockdown are unaware when this expires, according to new data.
During the first national lockdown, the government automatically extended MOTs for six months to allow key workers to travel to work, and to help people access essential food and medicine during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The six-month MOT extension only applied to MOT tests due between 30 March 2020 and 31 July 2020 – so the extended MOT certificates expired on 31 January 2021.
Comparison site Gocompare – which undertook the survey – says 13 percent of drivers can’t remember when their car is due its MOT. Eight percent of drivers polled also said they were also worried about the Covid infection risk from attending a garage..
Many are driving without a valid MOT
The claims from the Gocompare survey follow on from research conducted by fast-fit chain Kwik Fit, which estimated that up to two million cars could be on the road without a valid MOT.
Gocompare also found the majority – 58 percent – of motorists get stressed about putting their car through its MOT. The cost of potential repairs causes the most sleepless nights (22 percent), while a fifth are concerned about being ripped-off.
“If your car’s MOT has expired, it’s illegal to drive it on the road and you could be prosecuted for doing so. The only exception allowed would be if you’d already booked an MOT and were driving to the test, which you would have to prove to the police,” said Lee Griffin, CEO of Gocompare.
“The penalty for driving a car without a valid MOT is a fine of up to £1,000. If the car is found to have a dangerous fault, the penalty rises to £2,500 and three penalty points for ‘using a vehicle in a dangerous condition’. Drivers caught without an up-to-date MOT also risk invalidating their car insurance.”
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