The MOT history on GOV.UK shows every test since 2005 with the recorded mileage, the result, defects and advisories. Read it before you buy, and keep watching it while the vehicle is in stock: it catches wrong mileage, expiring MOTs and problems that would otherwise surface after the sale.
Most vehicles in Great Britain need their first MOT by the third anniversary of their registration and one every year after that, and every test is recorded by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. The results are free to check on GOV.UK with nothing more than the registration.
For a dealer it is one of the most useful records there is. It tells you how the vehicle has been looked after, whether the mileage adds up and what is likely to come up at the next test, all before you have paid a penny.
What the MOT history shows
In England, Scotland and Wales, the history of a light vehicle covers every test since 2005: the date, the result, the mileage recorded at the test, and every defect and advisory. Since 20 May 2018 defects are graded as dangerous, major or minor. Dangerous and major defects fail the test; minor defects and advisories are recorded on a pass.
It also shows when the next MOT is due. That date matters twice: for your own planning, and for the buyer, who will expect a vehicle with a reasonable amount of MOT left or a fresh one.
Read the mileage line by line
The mileage at each test should rise from one year to the next. A reading lower than an earlier one is a warning sign. It can be a typing error at a test centre, a replaced instrument cluster, or a clocked vehicle.
Compare the history with the odometer in front of you. A vehicle showing fewer miles today than at its last MOT needs an explanation backed by paperwork before you buy it. Describing a vehicle's mileage wrongly to a buyer can break consumer protection law and gives them grounds to reject it.
Advisories tell you what is coming
Advisories are items the tester noticed that did not fail the test but could become more serious: tyres close to the limit, light corrosion, worn brake discs, an oil leak. The same advisory repeated over several years tells you it was never fixed.
Price them into the purchase. Every advisory is a likely cost before the next MOT, or a question from the buyer. A long list of repeated advisories also says something about how the vehicle was looked after, which a stamped service book alone cannot.
Keep watching after you buy
The MOT history does not stop mattering once the vehicle is yours. An MOT can expire while the vehicle waits for a buyer, and a vehicle without a valid MOT cannot be driven on the road, except to a pre-arranged MOT test or to and from a place where it is being repaired.
Check expiry dates across your whole stock. Book new MOTs before the date, not after it, and before you advertise a vehicle with only weeks left. Many buyers see a fresh MOT as part of what they are paying for.
Outstanding recalls
Manufacturers recall a model when they find a safety fault. GOV.UK lets you check by registration whether a vehicle has been recalled, and the owner does not usually pay for the repair or parts.
Check before you sell. A buyer who finds out after the sale that a safety recall was outstanding has a fair question about why you did not. Booking the recall work before handover costs you little and removes the question entirely.
