How to Read an MOT History Report

How to read an MOT history report: start at the top and check the current MOT status and expiry date, then work down the tests in date order, reading each result (PASS or FAIL), the mileage recorded, and every defect listed. A clean-looking pass can still hide advisories that will cost you money, and a fail is only a problem if the defects were never fixed. This guide shows you how to read every line, with two worked examples.

Last updated: November 2026. All rules and fines in this guide are checked against GOV.UK and DVSA sources listed at the end.

What an MOT history report actually is

An MOT history report is the official record of every MOT test a vehicle has had, held by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). It is not a service history, and it is not a valuation. It is a testing record: independent testers recorded the result, the mileage and any defects at each test, and that record is what you are reading. Because the test is carried out by an independent tester against a fixed inspection manual, the history is one of the most honest documents a used car has. A seller can polish a car and write a glowing advert, but they cannot rewrite what a tester wrote in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Computerised MOT records go back to 2005, so for most cars on the road today you can see the whole testing life of the vehicle, from its very first test to the most recent one. The report is free to check: GOV.UK offers a free check, and you can also check MOT history free on MOTBuddy using only the registration number. You do not need the V5C log book, the MOT test number or an account to see it.

The seven things every report shows you

Every MOT history report, whether you read it on GOV.UK or on MOTBuddy, is built from the same fields. Learn what each one means and the report stops looking like a wall of jargon.

Field	What it tells you	What to look for
Current MOT status	Whether the vehicle has a valid MOT right now	Valid, or expired. An expired MOT means the car cannot legally be driven on the road, except to a pre-arranged test or for repair.
MOT expiry date	The date the current MOT runs out	Note the date. You can renew up to a month (minus a day) before expiry and keep the same renewal date.
Test date	When each test happened	Tests should be roughly annual. Gaps usually mean the car was off the road or its MOT was late.
Test result	PASS or FAIL for each test	A fail is not automatically bad. What matters is whether it was fixed and passed a retest.
Mileage	Odometer reading recorded by the tester	Mileage should rise steadily. A reading lower than an earlier one is a warning sign of clocking.
Defects and failure reasons	Exactly what the tester found	Read the wording and the grade. Grades are explained in the table below.
Advisory notices	Items that passed but need attention soon	Advisories are tomorrow’s bills. Several on the latest test deserve a closer look.

How to get an MOT history report

You only need the vehicle registration number. Type it into the checker, and the record appears in seconds, with the most recent test first and older tests below it in date order. If the record is blank, first check that you typed the registration correctly, including the right spacing and characters. A blank record can also mean the vehicle is under three years old and has not had its first MOT yet, was recently imported, or is exempt from testing. Historic vehicles over 40 years old, for example, are generally exempt from MOT testing, although the owner can still choose to have one tested voluntarily.

One practical tip: always check the history before you travel to view a car, not after. The report takes seconds to read and can save you a wasted journey. If the seller cannot give you the registration number before a viewing, treat that as a warning sign in itself. A genuine seller has nothing to lose by letting you check the official record.

Reading the result: PASS, FAIL and retests

Each test in the report ends in one of two results. A PASS means the vehicle met the minimum road safety and environmental standards on that day, although it may still carry advisory notices. A FAIL means a Major or Dangerous defect was recorded. It does not mean the car is scrap, and it does not mean the car stayed broken. Many cars fail, are repaired the same day, pass a retest and go on to serve their owners for years.

That last point is why you should always read a FAIL together with what follows it. A report that shows FAIL on 9 March and then PASS on 9 March, or a few days later, is a car that was fixed and retested. A FAIL with no later PASS is a car that either was not repaired, was taken off the road, or is still being sold in a failed state. GOV.UK explains that if a vehicle fails, it can only be driven away if its previous MOT is still valid and no Dangerous defect was listed. If a Dangerous defect was recorded, the vehicle must not be driven until it is fixed.

Retests have their own rules. GOV.UK states that a partial retest is free if the vehicle is repaired and returned to the same test station within 10 working days, for certain items. That is why you so often see a fail followed by a pass within a few days. When you see that pattern, the sensible question is not why it failed, but whether the repair was done properly. A single fail for a worn tyre or a headlamp aim problem, fixed the same day, is normal wear and tear. The same failure repeated year after year is a different story.

What the defect grades mean

Since May 2018, every defect a tester records has a grade. The grade, not the wording alone, tells you how serious the problem is. Learn these four grades and you can read any MOT history report at a glance.

Grade	Result	What it means	Can you drive it?
Advisory	Pass	The vehicle passed, but the tester noted something that will need attention soon, such as a tyre wearing close to the legal limit.	Yes. Budget for the repair.
Minor	Pass	A defect was recorded, but it has no significant effect on safety or the environment. It must still be repaired as soon as possible.	Yes. Repair it promptly.
Major	Fail	The defect may affect safety, put other road users at risk, or harm the environment. The vehicle must be repaired and retested.	Only if the old MOT is still valid and no Dangerous defect was listed.
Dangerous	Fail	The most serious grade. There is a direct and immediate risk to road safety or a serious environmental impact.	No. Do not drive it until it is fixed.

Notice the pattern: Advisory and Minor both mean the car passed, while Major and Dangerous both mean it failed. That is the single most useful rule in this guide. If you remember nothing else, remember that a fail is caused by a Major or a Dangerous defect, and a Dangerous defect means the car should not be driven at all.

Worked example 1: a healthy history (illustrative sample data)

The example below is illustrative sample data, shown in the same format as the sample vehicles on the MOTBuddy MOT history checker. The vehicle is AB12 CDE, a Ford Focus 1.5 EcoBoost, 2019, petrol, manual, grey. Read it the way a buyer would.

Test date	Result	Mileage	Notes recorded
14 March 2026	PASS	44,930 miles	1 advisory: front-left tyre worn close to the legal limit
11 March 2025	PASS	36,220 miles	No advisories recorded
9 March 2024	FAIL, then PASS	28,410 miles	Failed on headlamp aim, retested and passed the same day after repair

What does this tell you? First, the mileage is consistent: 28,410, then 36,220, then 44,930. That is about 8,000 to 8,700 miles a year, a believable annual pattern with no drops. Second, the tests happen every March, roughly on the anniversary, which is exactly what a well-kept car looks like. Third, the 2024 fail is the least worrying kind: headlamp aim is a common, cheap adjustment, and the same-day retest shows it was fixed straight away. Fourth, the only open item is the 2026 advisory for the front-left tyre. Tyres must have at least 1.6mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tread, and a tyre worn close to the legal limit will need replacing soon, so a buyer should budget for at least one new tyre, and probably check the other three as well. Overall this is a strong record, which is why this sample vehicle scores 86 out of 100 in the MOTBuddy sample display.

Worked example 2: a history that warns you off (illustrative sample data)

Now compare CD34 EFG, a Vauxhall Astra 1.2 Turbo, 2018, petrol, manual, silver, also shown as illustrative sample data on the MOTBuddy checker page. Its record reads very differently.

Test date	Result	Mileage	Notes recorded
14 March 2026	FAIL	48,960 miles	Failed on worn brakes and a corroded exhaust
11 March 2025	FAIL	51,340 miles	Failed on headlamp aim and a worn tyre
12 March 2024	FAIL	44,850 miles	Failed on emissions
13 March 2023	PASS	38,120 miles	No advisories recorded

Three problems jump out. The first is the pattern of failure: three fails in four years, on different systems each time, with the most recent test still a fail. That suggests a car that has not been maintained between tests, with problems left until the MOT forces the issue. The second is the mileage. Between March 2025 and March 2026 the recorded mileage falls from 51,340 to 48,960 miles, a drop of 2,380 miles. Mileage cannot go backwards on a car that is being driven, so a drop like this is a warning sign of possible clocking, where the odometer has been tampered with, or of a recording error. Either way, it needs explaining before you buy. The third is the current status: the MOT expired on 14 March 2026, so this car cannot legally be driven on the road until it passes a new test. A buyer would need to budget for brakes and an exhaust, arrange a test, and get a satisfactory answer about the mileage before paying anything. This is why the sample display gives this vehicle a score of only 42 out of 100.

Decoding the wording testers use

MOT defect wording is deliberately precise, and some of it sounds alarming when it is not, while some of it sounds mild when it matters. A few translations help. Worn close to the legal limit means the item is still legal today but will not be next time, so budget for it now. Slightly worn or slight play usually describes early wear that a tester is obliged to note, not an emergency. Excessively worn, excessively corroded or seriously weakened are much stronger words, and they usually sit next to a Major or Dangerous grade. Nearside and offside are the left and right sides of the vehicle as you sit in it, so nearside front tyre is the front-left tyre. Corrosion, perished rubber and split gaiters are age and wear problems that appear on older cars and tend to get worse, not better, if ignored.

Mileage and advisories: the two patterns that matter most

The mileage column builds a year-by-year timeline, so check that it rises steadily and believably. A reading lower than an earlier one is a warning sign of possible clocking or a recording error, and it needs explaining with service history and invoices before you buy. Advisories work the same way: a single advisory for a tyre near the legal limit is a small, predictable cost, but the same advisory repeated in 2024, 2025 and 2026 means the owner was warned three times and did not fix it. Treat every open advisory as a repair bill with a price attached, add them up, and use the total when you negotiate.

Red flags: a quick checklist

• Mileage that falls between tests, or jumps by an impossible amount.
• The same failure reason, such as brakes or emissions, appearing year after year.
• Several advisories on the most recent test, especially for tyres, brakes and corrosion.
• A fail with no later pass, or an MOT that has already expired.
• Long gaps between tests, or a Dangerous defect in the recent history.

What an MOT history does not show you

The MOT checks minimum road safety and environmental standards on the day of the test. It is not a service, and the history does not show service history, accident repairs, outstanding finance or write-off status. GOV.UK is explicit that the test does not cover the general condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox. For a car you are seriously considering, combine the MOT history with a full history check and, for anything expensive, an independent mechanical inspection. A car spec check can also confirm the vehicle matches its advertised specification. Once you have read the report, add up the open advisories, decide who pays for a fresh MOT if it has expired, and remember that driving without a valid MOT can mean a fine of up to 1,000 pounds.

Related guides

Once you can read the report, learn what its entries mean. Our guide to what an MOT advisory means explains advisories in depth, most common MOT failure reasons in the UK covers the faults behind most fails, and Dangerous MOT defects explained covers the most serious grade.

Sources

• GOV.UK, Getting an MOT: gov.uk/getting-an-mot
• GOV.UK, Check the MOT history of a vehicle: gov.uk/check-mot-history
• DVSA, MOT inspection manual: gov.uk MOT inspection manual