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During the spring lockdown, car garages were forced to close doors to all but essential business as COVID-19 took grip on the UK. While this second lockdown is expected to be less draconian, with schools still open and many workplaces such as construction sites still open, the rules around what can and cannot open is still unclear in some cases.
The second lockdown is due to come into effect on Thursday, November 5.
MOT’s are vital to ensuring your car is safe a roadworthy, ensuring your own safety and that of other motorists.
An MOT checks all of your car’s vital signs to make sure it meets road safety standards.
An MOT certificate is valid for one year from when the car passes its test – and it’s a legal requirement to get one every year.
Can I still get an MOT during the second lockdown?
The Government has not yet outlined official guidance on whether garages will be able to administer an MOT during the upcoming lockdown.
As garages are an essential business like supermarkets and chemists, it is likely they will remain open to deliver necessary repairs and MOT certificates.
Many garages shut during the spring lockdown despite being allowed to remain open.
This was because many garages had decided to close to protect staff and customers, even though they weren’t legally bound to, and many people were finding it difficult to get their car tested.
It is more likely that this time around they will remain open with more stringent safety measures in place.
In the spring lockdown, MOT’s were available to key workers initially, but not many others got their MOT done.
A six-month MOT test exemption was introduced on March 30, to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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Due to garages being closed throughout the coronavirus lockdown, the Government extended the deadline for those with vehicles due an MOT.
If your vehicle was due an MOT during the coronavirus lockdown, the Government extended the period in which you could get an MOT done by six months.
Mandatory MOT’s were reintroduced in August, meaning that if your vehicle was due an MOT between March 30 and August 1, the six-month extension still applies to you.
For example, if your car’s MOT was due to expire on May 3, 2020, it will automatically be extended to November 3, 2020, meaning you will need to get your MOT done by this date.
Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show that only 2.1 million MOTs were carried out in April and May 2020, compared with 7.1 million over the same period in 2019.
At this point, it also seems like another extension is highly unlikely, due to the lockdown not being open-ended at this stage.
Garages are also still dealing with the backlog of MOT’s for those who received the extension, so you may still have to wait even if you can get one this November.
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