Reading a vehicle's MOT history
This page is for anyone looking at the History tab of a vehicle, or at the MOT History window opened from a registration search, and wanting to understand each column.
Where does the MOT history table appear?
The same table appears in two places: the History tab of the vehicle window (open a vehicle from the Vehicles list) and the History tab of the window opened by a registration search. The first shows a stored copy of the data; the second is fetched live from the DVSA.
What does each column mean?
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
Number |
The MOT test number |
Completed |
Date and time the test was completed, as dd-MMM-yyyy HH:mm |
Expires |
Expiry date of the certificate issued, as dd-MMM-yyyy. Blank when no certificate was issued |
Value |
The odometer reading |
Unit |
The odometer unit as the DVSA records it (miles or kilometres) |
Result |
The test result, as the DVSA records it |
Defects |
The number of defect and advisory items on the test. Blank when there are none |
Use the column chooser to hide or show columns. Click a heading to sort. The table shows 10 rows at a time; the page-size selector offers 5, 10, 15, 20, 50 and All.
How do I see the defects on a test?
Click the row. A window titled "MOT Defects - " plus the test number opens. See Defects, advisories and dangerous items. You can click any row, including one with a blank Defects cell, and the window then says "No defects recorded for this test."
How do I check mileage between tests?
Compare the Value column down the table, remembering that the Unit can differ between tests. A reading that falls from one test to the next, or rises by an implausible amount, is worth querying with the keeper. MOTLogs does not flag mileage anomalies in this table.
The public checker draws a mileage chart for you; see The public MOT history checker.
What if the table is empty?
The table shows "No MOT history for this vehicle." There is no stored history for the vehicle, the DVSA has none (vehicles are normally first tested at three years), or the lookup failed. See Why a registration lookup shows nothing.
Reference
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Columns | Number, Completed, Expires, Value, Unit, Result, Defects |
| Date format | dd-MMM-yyyy, completed also shows HH:mm |
| Default page size | 10 |
| Click a row | Opens MOT Defects window |
| Empty state | No MOT history for this vehicle. |
| Order | Order in which the DVSA supplied the tests; click a heading to sort |