how early can i book my mot

You can have your MOT test carried out up to one month minus one day before your current MOT expiry date and still keep the same renewal date for next year.

Key rule in simple terms

• If your MOT expires on, say, 15 July, you can have the test done on or after 16 June and your new MOT will still run until 15 July the following year.

• If you do the MOT earlier than that window, the new certificate starts from the day of the test, so you “lose” the remaining days on your old certificate.

Booking vs test date

• You can usually book an appointment months in advance, but the actual test should be within that “one month minus one day” window if you want to keep the same renewal date.

• For example, if your MOT expires on 12 June, you could reserve a slot in March, as long as the test itself is on or after 13 May to preserve the date.

Why booking a bit early helps

• It gives you time for repairs if the car fails, so you are not stuck with an expired MOT while waiting for parts or workshop space.

• It helps avoid the rush in busy months like March, April, September and October, when many cars are due and slots fill quickly.

What if you go very early?

• You can MOT the car much earlier than a month before, and test centres will usually accept it, but next year’s due date will move forward to that earlier date.

• That is why many drivers treat the “one month minus one day” mark as the sweet spot: you keep your date and gain a buffer for any fixes.

Quick forum-style take

Most people in UK car forums say: book the appointment as early as you like, but aim to have the test done within 29 days of expiry so you don’t lose any days and still have time to sort failures.

TL;DR: Book any time you want, but schedule the test for up to one month minus one day before expiry to keep the same MOT date each year.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.