The DVSA's free MOT history service — and how garages should be using it

The DVSA makes MOT test history available digitally — every recorded test, pass or fail, with advisories, defects, mileage and expiry dates. It's official data, and access for garages and software providers is free. If you're still asking customers when their MOT is due, you're working harder than you need to.

What the data actually gives you

• The current MOT expiry date for a vehicle
• Full test history: passes, failures, and the reasons
• Advisories — the work the customer will need soon, which is your next phone call
• Recorded mileage at each test, useful for spotting patterns

Three ways a garage can use it today

First, quote with confidence. When a customer calls, a registration check tells you the vehicle's MOT status before they've finished the sentence.

Second, fill the diary. Every advisory on the last test is a reason to contact that customer before the next MOT. Garages that work their advisories rarely have empty ramps.

Third, stop relying on memory for reminders. Manually tracking hundreds of expiry dates doesn't scale — and forgetting them costs you the repeat MOT, which is often the highest-margin hour in the workshop.

How MechanicX uses it

MechanicX connects to the official DVSA MOT History API directly. Add a vehicle by registration and its MOT due date, history and advisories come with it. The system then sends MOT reminders to your customers by SMS or email automatically as due dates approach — and Grow and Pro plans can run the editable VT29 checklist and read-only MOT history right inside the job.

We also publish a free MOT due-date checker on this site — anyone can check a vehicle's MOT expiry in a few seconds, no account needed.

A note on accuracy

MOT history data is the DVSA's record of tests carried out; it reflects what was recorded at the time of each test. It's the authoritative source for expiry dates — which is exactly why reminders built on it work.