MOT changes 2023: Major update to test and check services adds safety recall warnings

A major change to the MOT process means drivers will now be warned of outstanding safety recalls on their cars as part of the annual test.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which oversees the test, has secured agreements with a number of the UK’s biggest car companies to include real-time recall tracking in MOT results. 

The change, which came into effect on 19 July, means that drivers will be alerted to any recalls when they receive their car’s MOT pass or fail certificate, making it easier to keep track of any outstanding work that is required. 

Major car makers including Ford, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and the Volkswagen Group - which covers VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Cupra, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini  - have signed up to the new scheme, covering almost half of all cars with an outstanding recall. 

Previously, recall information has been available as part of an MOT status check. However, this has only been offered via the online MOT checker and has been based on monthly information provided by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The new system sees manufacturers provide live data directly to the DVSA’s digital system, allowing garages to automatically identify vehicles with outstanding recalls as they are being tested. Testers will tell drivers of any recall notices as well as including the information on the test certificate.

The DVSA says it is actively working to add more brands to the scheme but for those not yet signed up to the DVSA programme, existing SMMT data will continue to be used.

From August, the online MOT checker will also be updated to include the real-time recall information and drivers signed up to the MOT reminder text message service will receive notification of any recalls at the same time as their reminder. 

Chris Price, DVSA’s head of MOT policy, said: “This is a huge step forward in bringing recall information direct to motorists. By adding the information to the MOT certificate and our popular digital services we can make it easier for motorists and improve safety recall uptake rates, helping everyone keep Britain’s road among the safest in the world.”

Vehicle safety recalls are fairly common, with car makers issuing them as potential problems come to light. Some can be relatively minor, such as a problem with a car’s infotainment system, but others can include brake failure, the risk of wheels falling off and even vehicles catching fire. In the first half of 2022, almost 400,000 recall notices were issued in Britain, with some cars affected by more than one fault.

Manufacturers should contact owners directly to alert them to any recalls but some alerts don’t reach the keeper of the vehicles, meaning the new system is a useful way to alert drivers to any necessary work.