New push for MoTs to go paperless

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Thu, 21 Dec 2023

MoT testers are being urged to go paperless and not print out a certificate for the 34.5 million MoTs carried out each year.

As full MoT information, including MoT history, is now available online, testers are instead being told to ‘ask, encourage and explain’.

This will be backed by an extensive PR campaign through the media and across official MoT social media channels that will run over the next few months.

It’s part of a strategic vision for 2025 that aims to improve the use of automation and technology in the MoT, make the process slicker, provide better information for customers and minimise opportunities for fraud.

And if that’s not enough of a carrot, MoT testers are also being reminded that not printing out an MoT certificate will save them money both in paper and printer ink.

The sheer scale of MoT certificates is enormous. If every test had an A4 certificate printed out, boffins have calculated it would cover the area of 295 Wembley Stadium pitches. It would take 13,800 boxes of A4 paper, and require 4000 trees. End-to-end, the certificates would stretch 4500 miles.

Since January 2021, it has already been optional to issue a paper record of the car emissions test.

Later, in September 2021, it became optional to issue a paper MoT pass certificate – but testers were asked to continue issuing paper MoT fail certificates.

"Since then, we’ve reviewed our policy, and we think it’s now time to go further," says the DVSA, which issues MoT certificates in Great Britain.

MoT testers, it says, now have the flexibility not to issue a paper fail certificate, provided the customer is willing and able to view the vehicle’s MoT record and history online.

"You can still offer a paper fail certificate to your customers for complex or multiple failures, so that it’s clear exactly what they need to do to fix the vehicle.

"However, if the customer would prefer to look at this information online, that’s fine. We want them to be able to choose what works best for them."

Crucially, testers are not being stopped from printing certificates for those who still want a copy to drive away with.

But don’t be surprised if, at your next MoT, you now won’t automatically be given a paper pass certificate or fail sheet to go home with…

Ask HJ

Are fogged up headlamps an MoT failure?

My 2017 Suzuki Baleno headlamps are fogged up around the outsides but not in the middle - it appears to be between two layers of double glazed plastic? Is this an MoT failure? Is there a fix for this because replacement headlamp units are horrendously expensive?

The MoT guidance says that water or condensation in your headlights will be a failure if it affects the beam pattern, so as the moisture is around the outside of your headlights it may still pass. This has occurred because the seals around the headlight have failed and allowed moisture to enter, which is then evaporated when the heat of the bulbs is present. The best solution would be to remove the headlights and dry them thoroughly indoors before resealing them. You may be able to purchase a set of rubber seals separately, but failing that you can use a waterproof sealant from an automotive accessory or DIY store.

Answered by David Ross

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