Millions of UK cars missing MOT due date

Over the last year, 16 per cent of cars in the UK were booked in for a test after their MOT had already expired, according to new data released by Kwik Fit.

Over the course of last year, more than 4.3 million cars needing an MOT were booked and tested too late. Of these cars, 50 per cent had their test within 10 days of their MOT expiring.

However, many were much longer overdue, resulting in the average time between expiry and test being 33.7 days.

In addition to those which were booked after their due date, around 1.7 million cars were tested after their MOT had expired, despite being booked in before the MOT ran out.

In total therefore, around six million cars underwent their MOT test after the expiry date.

Kwik Fit analysed all online bookings for MOTs carried out between July and December 2025, identifying the gaps between dates of booking, MOT expiry and test by each car.

With DVSA data showing that over a quarter of cars (27 per cent) fail their MOT, the figures highlight that, as well as being illegal, more than 1.5 million of these cars without a valid MOT would not be roadworthy.