It is important to realise that the MOT test does not cover areas of a vehicle's mechanical condition that are not related to safety or emissions (important features such as the clutch, gear box or the entire engine are not tested). Neither does it determine whether or not after market features fitted are legal for use on the public highway, so a vehicle with a recent VT20 certificate could still have major mechanical defects or have features which would deem it illegal to be used on the road.
Some items that are tested for wear cannot be allocated specific limits to be examined to (e.g. whether a wiper adequately clears the screen or if the noise from an exhaust is too loud) without the addition of specialised and often expensive equipment. Also, any dismantling of any part of the vehicle during an MOT is strictly against test regulations so wear and tear on some items on certain models of vehicle might be difficult to properly ascertain (e.g. since wheels cannot be removed it might be difficult to determine the thickness of a brake pad). As the MOT is only a basic inspection for general road-worthiness the addition of such equipment would not be cost effective. In these instances the decision to pass or fail comes down to the discretion of the tester as he/she is classed as an expert in their field.
Any vehicle can be MOT tested even if the vehicle is unregistered (kit cars or imported vehicles). Imported vehicles that are MOT tested in the United Kingdom must meet British standards even if the importation is temporarily. An example would be combined stop lamps and indicators commonly found on American vehicles which are not appropriate for use in the UK.
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Only £45
