Can a dealer sell a car without a valid MoT?

An elderly friend bought a second hand car last October from a well known VW dealership in Cambridge. She has now discovered that she has no MoT or service history. She contacted them on Friday to find out the MoT should have been done in November. She has visited the garage several times since purchasing and this has never been flagged up. This has caused considerable distress to an elderly lady. What are her rights. They have agreed to MoT the car on Monday the 16th at Waterbeach which another stress because it is not near where she lives. Urgently need you advice.

Asked on 17 June 2025 by

Answered by David Ross

It is legal for a car dealer, or anyone, to sell a vehicle without a valid MoT, but they are legally obligated to inform the buyer that this is the case, so if they did not inform your friend of this then technically they have broken the law. She could reject the vehicle and ask for a refund given it was not as described, you can read more about this process here - www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/consumer-rights/. As for the service history, depending on the age of the vehicle this may be stored digitally, so the dealership should be able to provide you with the history assuming it is present.

Tags: mot dealers service history

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