Whether you work as a man and a van, delivery driver or just use it for your own personal needs, when you own a van you have certain legal responsibilities to meet. One important thing is a MOT. Even if you’ve owned a car, the MOT you’ve had carried out on your car in the past is different from that required for a van. To help you understand what’s involved, we’re going to discuss this subject in greater detail in the following post.
What is a MOT?
Once the van you own is older than three years old, you are legally obliged to have what is known as a Ministry of Transport test, otherwise referred to as a MOT for short. This test is carried out to make sure your van meets the minimum in road safety and environmental standards and is vital if you want your van to be considered legally roadworthy. You’re not able to get a tax disc without it and without either your insurance may not actually be valid.
What’s Involved in a MOT?
In order to pass it successfully, a MOT must be carried out in a specified MOT garage or bay. The items tested as part of the MOT include:
- Your Vehicle identification number
- Wheels and tyres
- Suspension and steering
- Registration plates
- Seats and seatbelts
- Mirrors
- Load security
- Lights
- Horn
- Exhaust system and emissions
- Fuel system
- Doors
- Brakes
- Bonnet
- Body Structure
- Windscreen, washers and wipers
It should go without saying that just because your van successfully passes its MOT it doesn’t mean you don’t have to carry out your own checks on your vehicle regularly. This will help you to avoid it breaking down and reduce the likelihood of you causing any accidents because of the van not being fit to be on the road.
Surprisingly though, even if your van has successfully passed its MOT:
- MOT certification does not guarantee that your van is in sound mechanical condition
- It doesn’t mean that it is fully roadworthy for the full term of your MOT certification
- During the MOT, the gearbox, clutch and engine are not actually tested.
It is important that you keep those three points in mind, as you will have to have tests run on these separately.
What Are the Results of the MOT and What do they Mean?
All the results of tests, like the MOT, are stored on a central and secure database. This is the only place that has a record of any proof that your van has successfully passed its MOT. The certification you receive is only considered to be a receipt.
The results you receive, are as follows either:
Pass – if your van passes the tests, you will receive your certification
Fail – If your van does not pass the tests, you will be notified of its failure.